I feel sorry for my son... gone are the "good old days". :(

[J.T.]

I think my kids are doing just fine. Not the same as my childhood but in many respects it is better. My 10 year old has about a 1 mile range and spends most of his time hunting or fishing. Granted, he is more aware than I was that strangers need watching and he travels with his 80lb Ridgeback and a .22 rifle. Still a pretty sweet life from the outside looking in.

 

[technetium-99m]

If I were given the opportunity to bet on an adult who abuses or abducts a child I will always bet on an adult who is known to the kid and trusted over a complete stranger. Truly random stranger danger type situations are very rare. Someone hurts a kid, I can almost promise it's the parents, or someone the parents trusted with said kid.

I believe tRdoc is a physician so his view will be colored by the fact that he see's tons of hurt children, as a parent who cares for his kids he's naturally going to bring some of that home and be cautious.

I did a lot of growing up in the 90's and had fairly free range of a 2+ square mile radius in the middle of NW OKC. Never had a problem, ate lunch with friends, fished, everything the previous posters mentioned they did as kids in the 60's and 70's. There are 9-12 year old kids who live down the street who do the same things I did, they just have to walk a little farther if they want to fish.

 

[Koshinn]

Are things actually more dangerous now, or are parents just much more informed these days?

What I'm reading is basically, the good old days were the days when we were ignorant and let our kids do stupid crap.

 

[RidgeHunter]

What I'm reading is basically, the good old days were the days when we were ignorant and let our kids do stupid crap.

They were ignorant for not letting thoughts of highly improbable events negatively affect their mental health and quality of life?

 

[TDH1988]

One murder EVERY 32 MINUTES.a
One violent crime EVERY 6 SECONDS.
One robbery EVERY 55 SECONDS.
One assault EVERY 7 SECONDS.
One theft EVERY 2 SECONDS.
One burglary EVERY 10 SECONDS.
One rape/sexual assault EVERY 2 MINUTES
56 women are victimized by an intimate EVERY HOUR.
A teenager is victimized EVERY 19 SECONDS.
3 women and/or men become victims of stalking EVERY MINUTE.
A child is abused and/or neglected in America EVERY 35 SECONDS.
EVERY 19 SECONDS a violent crime is committed against a person at work or on duty.
A person is killed in an alcohol-related traffic crash EVERY 30 MINUTES.
An identity theft is reported EVERY 3 MINUTES.


sources:
www.ncvc.org
(202)467-8700
2000 M Street, NW Suite 480
Washington, DC 20036

aFederal Bureau of Investigation. (2003). Crime in
the United States, 2002. Washington, D.C.: Federal
Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of
Justice.
b Rennison, Callie. (2003). Criminal Victimization
2002. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.
cTjaden & Thoeness. (1998). Stalking in America:
Findings from the National Violence Against
Women Survey. Washington, D.C.: National
Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
dChildren’s Bureau. (2003). Child Maltreatment
2000. Washington, D.C.: Children’s Bureau, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
eDuhart, Detis. (2002). Violence in the Workplace,
1993-99. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.
f National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
(2003). Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes,
2001. Washington, D.C.: NHTSA, U.S. Department
of Transportation.
gFederal Trade Commission. (2003). Identity Theft
Complaint Data: Figures and Trends on Identity
Theft January 2002 through December 2002.
Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission.


To those who call this paranoia, I will respectively disagree with you. Ask your parents and grandparents. They used to be able to leave doors unlocked, windows open at night, and kids could go play with less worry. Not anymore. This is not paranoia, this is reality. The world is a dangerous place, and only getting worse. Albert Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place; not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." There are less and less of us by the day. Us that make a stand against violence. Us that choose to go home to our families at night and not be victims, at all costs. I also believe that I, as well as all of you, would and will do anything you have to do, to make sure your family comes home safely as well. Ignoring the facts in this day and age...not something I'm willing to bet my risk my families life on.

Take care and be safe.

 

[338Shooter]

There is nothing I did growing up that I wouldn't let my kids do. I'm more afraid of public school and the TV than the boogie man. The older I get the more I realize how much influence teachers can have over kids. I now realize how bad some of my teachers were in not allowing free thought and forcing their agenda no matter what it may be. I think it is important to maintain an active roll in your kid's lives, but that doesn't mean locking them in a rape proof bubble. Let them go play, then talk to them about what they did when they get back.

 

[RidgeHunter]

To those who call this paranoia, I will respectively disagree with you. Ask your parents and grandparents. They used to be able to leave doors unlocked, windows open at night, and kids could go play with less worry. Not anymore. This is not paranoia, this is reality. The world is a dangerous place, and only getting worse.

Only it's NOT getting worse. Why can't you people see that? Murder rate is way lower. Automobile fatality rate is way lower. Sexual assault/rape rates are nearly the same, probably way lower if you take into account not as many were reported in the "good ole days". Crimes of a sexual nature were taboo to talk about once and often went unreported, now not only are they reported more often, we have 24/7 cable news channels that will give you the semen covered graphic details of every shocking child murder that occurs. Oh, and all the stuff you listed with the time intervals has jack to do with random violence against children.

This "day in age" is simply not "much more dangerous" than our parents and grandparents day. In most of the main categories, it's way safer. It's really delusional that people keep denying these facts.

People believe what they want to believe. It's that simple. This is a wikipedia article, but it's backed up by BOJ statistics at the bottom. Considering we have 30-50 year old people talking about their childhood as the good ole days when nothing bad happened, it's laughable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States

In 2004 America's crime rate was roughly the same as in 1970, with the homicide rate being at its lowest level since 1965. Overall, the national crime rate was 3977 crimes per 100,000 residents, down from 4852 crimes per 100,000 residents thirty years earlier in 1974 (-18%)

As far as grandma, she's 84 and could tell you about when she started carrying a Colt 1903 (grandma does not mess around) after a man flashed her while she was delivering mail in her small Oklahoma farming town back in the good old days. No telling what crimes that guy could have committed. Clear sexual predator behavior in Mayberry.

 

[JB Books]

The good old days ain't coming back, why don't you try to make some good NEW days?

 

[TDH1988]

Good facts brought to the table..I will retract that statement. The Murder rate, rape rate, robbery rate, and aggravate assualt rate are going DOWN from the '90s. If we consider the "good ol days" to be..lets call it 1960s-1980s, than without a doubt our Violent Crime rate has tripled here in Oklahoma. Here is my source on fbi.gov

http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/State/RunCrimeStatebyState.cfm


In 1960 the violent crime rate was 97.0%
In 1970 it was 202.9%
In 1980 it was 419.5%
In 2009 it was 501.1%

If we are comparing from the "good ol days" to now. FBI statistics say that our violent crime rate has risen from 97.0% to 501.1% in fifty years time. If we are comparing from the 1990's then RidgeHunter, you are absolutely correct: the rate is going down. Hopefully it will continue to do so

 

[OKCHunter]

I wonder how the violent crime rate corresponds to the number of concealed carry licenses? Maybe the decrease in violent crime also has something to do with people's awareness and caution (paranoia).