Reminder to all parents and kids!

[Lai]

This afternoon my brother went out the door with a friend. Didn't say a word, we didn't even know the other guy's name. They went out to go skateboarding. Hour after hour went by... still no John. Evening passed and night fell. We had been driving around for the past hour searching for him, but no one could find him. After calling the police for help, still he didn't turn up, and we kept searching.

We were scared stiff because we didn't know this kid, my brother had never stayed out after dark before, and we had just moved here a month ago from Texas. Just when I was starting to get frantic, John comes up the stairs with his skateboard and my mother behind him.

The cop appeared at the door to question him, get his name and birthdate, and after some relieved exchange and our apology for wasting his time he bid us goodnight.

PLEASE, to those of you who have kids and the other minors out there, don't just walk out the door and not give a hint as to where you're going. It's needless to say that you should not stay out after dark if no one knows where you are. If you're telling a parent or family member where you're going as you walk out, make SURE they confirm that they heard you!

That's all. :hrmm:

[~*Ginger*~]

:hugz:
So glad everyone is safe and sound at home.

[Amadore]

Thank god everything is ok!! My mom pretty much says tell me where you're going first, and if you're going to be home after 6:00 p.m., phone first. So far we haven't had troubles :)

[atropa]

When I was in my early 20's I used to stay out all night at the clubs and stuff, and my Mom would be so worried. I never understood why she made such a big deal about it. Now I am a Mom and on top of feeling really guilty I'm scared stiff of the karma I may get back. I hope Gage doesn't treat me as thoughtlessly as I treated my Mom. I apologize to her all the time now.

[Smiley Girl]

So he was just skateboarding? lol

[GaiaDea]

I'm truly glad all was well in the end.

I too had/have fears about my soon-to-be 12yr old DD walking out the door and never seeing her again. I bought a set of those five-mile radios for us. Now she can grab her radio, hand me mine, and let me know what general area of the neighborhood she will be in, and if something happens, or she wants to go elsewhere, she can just radio and let me know. And I can call her home if something comes up here.

A small (~$50) price to pay for peace of mind! These radios all come equipped with a "call" button, and she knows she can press it three times quickly if something truly bad happens and she can't talk. Since she likes to talk on the radios, I usually know within about ten yards where she is all the time! And she gets the freedom to roam a little farther than "within sight of the house".

Of course, this may not be the right solution for everyone, but it works for us, and I don't stress as much as I used to about her being out of sight.