Should We Be Worried About Kidnapping?

In the 80s, I can remember my parents telling me ‘don’t get kidnapped!’ when we went out to play.

That was 80’s parenting; tell your kids not to do something without giving us the how, for example ‘Smarten up!’ How many remember that one?

I think, that 80’s parenting style created a lot of independent thinking adults who turned out to be great problem solvers. Unfortunately there were also a lot of accidents that happened, and as a result I think helicopter parenting was born, and parents have become paranoid, myself included.

Recently I went for a run and something happened that got me thinking about this idea of kidnapping and ‘stranger danger’… are we TOO paranoid? Should we be worried about our kids getting kidnapped? What do we need to know and what should our kids know about talking to strangers or playing outside on their own.

Watch the video above to find out what happened. (Then keep reading for a second video where I chat about child safety with a police constable!)