What’s Happening To Our Children?

Lately I’ve noticed something rather disturbing as I peruse the feed of my social media. It seems every day there are posts about missing children. I’m not talking about Amber Alerts, although there certainly are some of those. I’m talking about children disappearing.

These posts are impassioned pleas from family members, guardians and close friends to find these children. When they suspect a runaway they beg the missing to return, or to call and everything can be worked out. In other cases, they have no reason why the children disappeared. Were they kidnapped? Did someone lure them away?

Yesterday in my state there was an incident at a local school where a couple stopped and began to take pictures of the children. They offered sweets to them. An astute teacher asked the couple to leave and alerted authorities. In this case it was merely a misunderstanding from people of a different culture who enjoyed seeing the joy of children playing. But it could have been something a lot more sinister.

There have been videos made of men intentionally trying to lure children away from parents at a park to show the parents how easily it could be done. These were done with no ill intent, but if it had been, so many more children would be “lost” or “missing”. When these children go missing what happens to them? Do you really want to know?

Even older children, teenage children, are duped by strangers. We can teach “stranger danger”, but children are trusting souls. If the child is craving attention, as so many children are these days, it’s easy to earn the trust of even an intelligent child if the right attention is given. The child is “groomed” or duped into thinking the adult has innocent intentions.

Once these children are missing it’s too late to save most of them. Human trafficking has been a highlight in the news lately. Is this where most of the missing end up? I have no doubt. They will be sold into sexual slavery and prostitution. What else can happen is beyond anything I care to consider.

These are our next generation. These are the future of our existence in this world. Can we be so careless as to not protect them and keep them safe? Is YOUR child at risk?

For younger children, never take your eyes off of them. NEVER! If you go to a park, make sure you have enough adults to watch all the children. Keep an eye out for suspicious strangers. In this world we can’t just assume everyone has innocent intentions anymore. Never let a child go into a public restroom alone.

For older children, monitor everything. They will hate you for snooping into their private lives. That’s OK. You are not their friend. You are their parent. If they have a phone, make sure you can see all their interactions. If they are allowed online make sure you have access to all their passwords. Closely monitor all their friends and interactions.

Teach your children that the 15 year old boy on the other end of the chat can easily be a grubby 45 year old pervert looking to do nasty things as soon as there is a chance. Show them how easily they can be tracked with even the simplest of personal information given on any profile.

Most importantly, keep lines of communication open with your children. Sometimes this means withholding judgment and punishment for their actions in exchange for them being willing to be open with you about anything in their lives. Secrets can kill. Be the parent they are willing to talk to about anything, knowing you will not hold them in judgment. It’s not easy. But it could mean the difference between holding them at night or crying at their empty bed.

If you have no children of your own, maybe you could mentor a child who might need a caring adult. Or offer to go shopping or to the park with a mother who has more children than she can keep an eye on herself. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I don’t think those words have ever been more true than now.

How do we save these children?