This Mommy Is Scared
Written by Karen Weido of Ting’s Mom Blog

I was a mere two years old with little Adam Walsh went missing. It was a time before Facebook or Twitter. There were no missing children alerts on our phones. But Adam’s dad made it his life mission to educate the nation on missing children.

In the years that followed, John Walsh worked tirelessly to get the word out about Adam and other missing children. He created educational programs that were implemented in schools. He urged parents to take the lead and teach their children about “Stranger Danger”. My mom jumped on board, and whether she intended to or not she instilled in me an intense fear of being kidnapped.

Some 30ish years later I found myself shopping in JC Penny. My then one year old daughter wondered away from me and in the 90 seconds (that seemed like forever) that my daughter was “missing” I realized that I had a very intense phobia – the phobia that my children would be taken from me.

I know I’m not the only mom out there that worries that our children will wonder off. We worry that someone will grab them in the store. We worry that the park or playground will no longer be a safe place for our children to play.

So what is a parent to do? Parents can be proactive in their habits with their children. They can educate their children in ways to help in the event the unthinkable happens.

• Keep an eye on your children. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I’m constantly amazed by the number of children I see in public and it appears no one is paying them any attention.
• Keep your small children contained when shopping. Just because your one year old can walk doesn’t mean they need to be walking around at Walmart. If you have toddlers that have outgrown the buggy asked for a “toddler” cart. Most stores have them, you just have to ask.
• Don’t walk away from your shopping cart/stroller/wagon/etc. We’ve all seen the terrifying video of the kid being snatched from the shopping cart with mom standing nearby.
• Teach your older children to stay with you. Nothing makes my daughter madder than having to ride in the buggy at Walmart, but when she thinks she’s big enough to wonder off on her own that’s where she ends up.
• Don’t let your kids shop alone. I remember when I was very young and it was seemingly safe for my brother and me to hang out in the toy section while mom did all the shopping. Not the best idea these days.
• Teach your children what to do if they do get grabbed. Scream, kick, punch, run. I try to teach my daughter to do whatever it takes to hurt the person that grabbed her and to make sure everyone in the store can hear her screaming!
• Teach your children your names. My kids know we are Mommy and Daddy, but we also teach them we are Karen and Bobby. Our daughter also knows the actual names of her Mimi, Buddy, Lollie and Pop.
• Use common sense! It sounds simple enough, but we all know those parents that don’t seem to use it at times.

I’m by no means a parenting expert, but these are what we do at our house with a one and four year old. What are you doing at your house to cure the kidnapphobia (yea, I made that up).

Karen Weido is a full time wife, full time mom, and works full time in Healthcare Marketing & Public Relations. She and her family live in Southwest Arkansas.  She has been sharing her family’s stories and activities on Ting’s Mom Blog since 2010.  In her spare minutes she tries to read, is learning to cook, and runs around in the backyard with her kids. Karen can also be found creeping around (and often posting) on Twitter and Instagram.