I totally agree with you. You need to let them have some autonomy in middle school so they can mess up, which they will, and then you can work together to show them the consequences. Kids need the freedom to muck it all up, otherwise they do not know how to handle themselves. imo
But in Sierra's case, I would have been concerned about her standing at a bus stop ALL ALONE every day. That seems very dangerous, imo.
It does seem so but the truth is abductions like this are still a rarity. We cant go into hysterics and shelter our children too much. She lived in a very safe neighborhood (I havent heard of any crimes happening there until now) and we dont even know if she knew the person she got into the vehicle with. She may have.
When I was 15, I was the only one at the bus stop, and I caught it at 7:15. I lived in a remote rural area that makes Sierra's neighborhood look like a busy congested neighborhood. LOL! Someone could have easily come by and abducted me because both my mom and dad had already left for work.
But teens have been abducted from many different places. Like from the Mall or when they were walking home and from inside of their very own home. It is just humanely impossible for any parent to watch their teen 24/7. They have to work. It no longer is a luxury for moms to work...it is a neccessity in this economy.
Strangers who take children, rape and murder them are only 5%. That means a child is much more likely to die from a car wreck than being abducted by a stranger.
95% of children who are abused, raped, and, murdered... are victims of their own parents, family members, or someone known to them. Children are far more at risk of grave harm inside their own homes than being kidnapped by a stranger.
Imo, we cant lose sight of reality or where the true problem lies for the vast majority of children who are at risk and it isn't standing by the road to catch a bus.
IMO
