Up Thinking About The 3 Amber Alerts Yesterday!

   So I have been up thinking about the 3 Amber Alerts that we had yesterday and how we could try to limit this number. I am so happy they all ended up being safe but I also wonder how many more kids go missing without the alerts everyday!?!? This really scared me and my son is 16 years old, so I could only imagine how it would be for those of you with younger kids with the way things are now days. I have done a lot of research all night to try to come up with as much information that I can and I want to share a few things that I did find.

   According to The U.S. Department of Justice there is an estimated 797,500 children (under 18 years old) reported missing in one year. In an average of 2,185 children being reported everyday. 203,900 children were victims of family abductions. 58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions and 115 were victims of stereotypical kidnappings (Someone the child doesn't know who keeps the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, demands ransom, intends to keep the child permanently or ends up killing the child). The rest were mainly run aways or at a friends house etc.

   I found a couple of videos in my research that I will share with you. I don't do these to scare you (well I kinda do) but I want you to understand how important it is for us to really teach our children how to be safe at all times. John Walsh says it best when he says "I think child safety programs should be mandatory on the school curriculum, I think the safety of children should be as important as health care I really do, I think it is time to educate the children and parents in the schools". I couldn't agree with him more. I think we need to talk to our children about safety every day. I think there is always an opportunity that comes up that will let us throw in a safety tip to our children.

   Both of these videos share the sad reality of the world we live in and the dangers that our children face. We need to find things that we can do to try to prevent this from happening. We can teach our children all of the stranger danger tips/techniques, practice and role play with them and this will help a ton. We need to teach our children that just because they might have seen someone around the neighborhood or maybe even in the house a couple times that they are still strangers and they are still dangerous. Even if they were nice to our children we need to let our children know that its not ok to be around certain people without the presence of their parents. Please remember to take a look at the Stranger Danger Page that I posted as it has a lot of very valuable information in it that could help you in your teaching of Stranger Danger.

   I also found a few things that might help you with your child and keeping an eye on them. I will post them here with a description of what it is. Keep in mind these are just a couple of items that I looked into. There are plenty more items out there that will do the same thing, some could be better then these. I do research what I list and list only the ones that I find with the best reviews by other customers since I myself have never used them.

Mommy I'm Here

This device is for those of you that have younger children that aren't worried about your child walking to and from school as much as you are about them getting out of your line of site at a park or a play area at a restaurant. This device will sound an alarm if your child goes more then 25 feet away from you and works up to 150 feet. The way that it works is one piece fits on Mom/Dads key-chain and the other piece can be attached to the child's shoe/belt/backpack etc. Don't worry if you put it on the child's shoes as it is water resistant and long lasting. The link below is for a blue one but it does come in pink and brown as well.

Spot Satellite GPS Messenger UnitThis device is for those of us that have children that we cant be with at all times. This device is great it will track every move you do. It has special features on it such as a check in button and a 911 button. Its GPS makes it easy to track down your loved one using Google Maps. It is very resistant to most weather conditions and is waterproof. *Note* According to some of the reviews the 911 and check in buttons don't always work and the device is best used outdoors for those options to function. I also am not sure if there is a monthly charge or how much it would be but most GPS devices do carry a monthly plan. This is one of the lower cost GPS devices that are small enough to fit in your pocket or in a backpack making it easy to have on you at all times.

Cell PhonesOne of the cheapest ways for an older child would probably be their cell phone if they have one. A lot of cell phones now days have GPS on them that you can have activated so that you can keep up to speed on where your child is.
   The reason I bring up the GPS systems is not to necessarily spy on your child as much as to find them if something does happen. If they can have something like the SPOT or a Cell phone tucked into their pocket when they are taken away they can easily reach into their pocket and activate it or if it is already activated like the spot you can hone in on where they are for a speedy recovery of your child. 
   If your child has a cell phone you can have a police speed dial number that they can use and if they can reach it while the phone is in their pocket, they can call the police and start screaming about where they are like "Why are you driving my past Delta Bowling Lanes on 1600 Street?" and keep saying where they are even if GPS Is not active on the phone. All of these options can be valuable if used properly. Please if you take anything away from this blog at all, teach your kids the safety tips, techniques and practice, role play with them all the time as it is very important. 
   Please share your thoughts and opinions on this as well. I am sure there is so much more that can be added that I don't know, forgot or couldn't find. Thank you so much for reading. Take care.
 Remember to join the site by using the "Join" button on the right and invite your friends and family. The more people we reach the more lives we can possibly save. Thanks again everyone!!!