and trusted them to walk unharmed across the store.Even worse, I do this all the time., less than 350 kids a year are abducted by strangers in the United States, and these abductions generally take place as a child goes to or leaves school. There’s still massive stigma in leaving kids of their age alone in a public place while I continue my fruitless search for printer ink in peace.
These kids aren’t running up and down aisles. They aren’t pawing merchandise, shouting, fighting, or shoplifting. When I find them, they’re generally standing around like old men on a corner. But every time I send them wandering alone in Target, I have to warn them: “If anyone asks where I am, tell them in a firm voice that your mama said you’re allowed to be alone. If they ask if you’re lost, tell them no. If they tell you to come to customer service so they can page me, tell them no.
I do not say: “Don’t talk to strangers. Yell if someone grabs you.” No strangers are going to grab them. I don’t worry about child abduction.I worry that some nosy busy body will see them standing around unsupervised in the toy aisle, glance around for a parent, and ask, “Where’s your mother?” followed by a flip out. This isn’t an idle fear. It’s happened before.
This time, though, when I finished shopping and didn’t see my sons in the toy aisles, my heart hit my throat. Someone had harassed them. I’d left them alone in Target and some nosy do-gooder had dragged them to customer service. I raced to the book section. Maybe they were looking for the newestI went back to the toy aisles and called their names again. Hands in their pockets, they stood talking about Marvel LEGO. I’d just … missed them.
My kids deserve independence. At their ages, they shouldn’t stand around while I compare prices. So I tell them to look at LEGOs. Or books. Or Nintendo games. Last I checked, they didn’t make child leashes in a boy’s size 10. So I left my kids alone in Target. They survived. They continue to survive this ordealLuckily, no one’s called the police. I shouldn’t have to worry about that. But the world has changed. It’s not like it was when we were kids. People are different.
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