Don't talk to strangers!

[cosmicpep]

From the CNN article:

"We've also told him don't talk to strangers. ... When an ATV or horse came by, he got off the trail. ... When they left, he got back on the trail."

"His biggest fear, he told me, was someone would steal him," she said.

Yeah. So that's a good thing to tell your kid: "Don't talk to strangers

Comments

[bozini]

I have been struggling with this of late. Our 2 year old really believes that everyone in the world loves him as much as his family does. He will go off willingly with anyone and doesn't have the "I want mommy" breakdown. He sat down with another family at a park and gave the mom a big kiss. It was a beautiful moment.

On the other hand, my kid will take any hand offered and go willingly.

I kinda want to keep him, at least for a few more years.

[cosmicpep]

Awww...he's so gregarious. I could see how that level of openness could be a little worrying, though. If he keeps it up, he'll have no trouble making friends!

Hmm...maybe later on he'll meet some meaner kids, and that'll teach the lesson to hold off a little bit. But I dunno, I don't have kids, so I have no knowledge in the area.

[bozini]

Meaner kids would be bad... my little guy is also tough as nails. Stuck both hands in an ant hill was eaten quite seriously and never even cried. Fell off the swing and his gang was in action his older girlfriend (5 years old) was beating the snot out of the offending swing. Apparently this park has some serious hatred issues against my son.

I fear if exposed to meaner kids he would win.

He loves other kids, makes friends easily at the playground, especially for a 2 year old.

Seriously, if someone offered him candy or ice cream or lollipops he would go with them and never look back.

[revelstone]

I was thinking the same thing! I'm stranded in the woods and worried that someone might abduct me. Absolutely brilliant.

People seem to worry about unlikely/small problems instead of the real ones they are facing.

[bunnyfeet]

Amen brother. What was this kid, 12 or something? At 3, sure. But at some point you have to start teaching him the finer points of strangers and how to judge for himself when it is OK to talk to strangers and when it isn't. If someone starts making polite conversation with you on the bus, it's really OK to talk to them. As long as they don't ask you to come home with them.

Granted, we have yet to start this training with Ivy, and i'm sure the line is fine and hard to walk. But damn...

[blog_mockery]

It gets even better on MSN.com

"Brennan defied conventional wisdom during his time in the mountains: He went uphill instead of down, while “typically children walk downhill, along the least path of resistance,” Sheriff Dave Edmunds said. As a result, search crews ended up in the wrong area."

So... in other words he's stupid and made it harder on himself?

"The couple said their son was born prematurely, and they described him as immature and a little slow, but not mentally disabled."

Nuff said. As long as your children aren't too "slow," they'll learn how to distinguish different types of strangers. Many young children accept a broad range of people to be acceptable caretakers (i.e. will walk off with a broad range of strangers), but they learn over time. And nothing will ever be as good as mommy.