"What's happening to the world?"

There have been so many bad things in the news lately that it’s got my mind racing again.

What’s the deal with all the school shootings?

There are many questions that I ask myself when I see these stories:

Where are the kids getting the guns?

Are the parents responsible for their kids actions?

Why didn’t someone see the signs and do something before it happened?

Is there anything that really could have been done to prevent it?

Do you feel there is anything that, as a parent, you need to do to keep your child safe in his/her school?

I’m sure that most moms ask themselves some of these same questions.

There have also been a rash of children being run over while crossing streets, etc. Why?

Kids have always crossed streets. Is the media just reporting it more or are the number of accidents going up?

After hearing about some of the recent stories of children being run over, I wonder how old a child should be before he/she is allowed to ride his/her bike in a neighborhood (assuming it has sidewalks). My son is 7. I let him ride to his friends’ houses every once in a while. Is that too young?

Boys are just so independent. I know when I was 7 I rode all over the neighborhood. Have things changed too much?

Update: I've answered my own question about whether a 7 year old was too young to ride his bike to his friend's house. My son was found last night about 7 blocks from our house crying and screaming my name. He was lost. Thankfully, a nice lady noticed him and brought him to me. If you're reading this Mrs. Wallace, thank you!!!!!! Thanks also for telling him to never ride with strangers, LOL! Needless to say, my son will not be riding his bike to his friend's house for a while. I knew there were dangers, but it never crossed my mind that he could get lost going around the corner. What is the appropriate age for that?

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"Watch Your Kids Please"

My previous blog about “The Local Hangout” got me thinking. It’s really sad that some people use their neighbors as babysitters. Let me first say, I’m not referring to the people that live directly on either side of me. I’m referring to other parents in our neighborhood.

Isn’t it just common sense that a 5 year old child should not be riding their bike in the street without an adult watching them? Or am I just paranoid?

Here’s another thing that’s got me thinking. Why is it that when I go outside to pick up the barrage of things that have been left in my yard, I find other children’s pants? I can almost understand little boys leaving their shirts in the yard, but pants? Come on!

What child went home without their pants and the parent didn’t wonder where they were? If my child came home without his pants on, I would lose it!

I have an entire collection of shirts, pants, socks, and shoes that have been found in my yard. I could outfit my entire family with this stuff. But, normally I just throw it away. I got tired of saving it and waiting until someone came looking for it.

Anyway, I digress……

The whole point of this story is that parents need to be watching their children; especially the little ones! I’m tired of backing out of my driveway wondering if a child has run behind my car. I always wonder, “Will this be the day that I’ll hit a child?” That really shouldn’t be something I think about every day.

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