The rate of stranger abductions in the us is exactly (as far as we can tell – the statistics are state by state and the don’t all define strangers abduction the same: some include 15 year old Jenny running off with 19 year old boy friend Tommy which is obviously not what we’re worried about): about 300 to 500 per year. In the entire country. To put that not perspective more people in the us are stuck by lightning each year than there are stranger abductions.

I totally agree with Julie. Spend some time in the Veterinary world and you’ll quickly learn about zoonotic diseases. Thanks but no thanks, we’ll keep our shoes on.

One question I have is what do you suggest we do in the winter? I live in Minnesota and it’s currently 11 degrees outside…how do we apply these principles when so much of the year is overwhelmingly freezing?

Thank you for the research! It’s good to look at the facts instead of what’s presented by the media.

I also rode my horse up into the wilderness overnight at 9-10 years old. I looked out at the stars and my mind filled with wonderment at the sight of the universe at night in the forest, alone. I was not afraid, my mom trusted that I was safe. I got home in one piece and no creepy thoughts of the boogie man out to get me. I was always accompanied by our trusty German Shepard. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without her. I was also armed with knowledge and practical know how. … Girl Scouts, 4-H, responsible ownership of a menagerie of pets. Yeah…I’m still here and I turned out ok. (And no cell phone….lol)

Parents don’t trust kids to breathe anymore or without a whole lot of discussion, deliberation and ultimately compromise that defeats meaningful trust and growth bonds between parents and kids.

The article isn’t supposed to be polarizing, but based on actual statistics and experience… That said, I agree that we all need to get along better and not shame others by how they choose to raise their own children…

@Wendy I sincerely hope this comment is a rouse. Otherwise, it is inappropriate as well as disturbing. The article is about letting kids run about by themselves and discover the world by themselves, not having the nanny strip naked and join in. It is truly concerning that first, you allowed the children to run naked in public areas, without the parents knowledge (assumed from your use of words), and secondly, that you exposed yourself around children that are not your own.

This!!! I have one elementary aged child so she is not going to roam our neighborhood all alone. I step back and let her make mistakes then help her learn from those mistakes. I let her have screen time, but I have parental controls on that screen time. She’s only a child once and I want her to be blissfully unaware of adult issues until she’s old enough to process all that goes with that! I am a social worker and know all too well that whether these statistics cited claim “low risk”, I see just how great the consequences of such a low risk are. So none of us are perfect at parenting, but I’m trying my best strike that balance.. but a supervised balance 😉

I do not agree that parents have to dress the same as kids. If you are wearing a 3-piece suit, do you have to dress your kids in a 3-piece suit? I also don’t know who would let a kid walk barefoot in a store – that is a recipe for foot fungus! A toddler or infant in a stroller, seat, fine; but not a kid who walks. Letting your kid run around outside or in the house barefoot, even if you prefer to wear shoes, is fine. It is better for kid’s growing feet. “Neglect” means not meeting the child’s basic needs for survival – not feeding them, housing them, providing proper clothing for the current weather. Barefoot in summer is fine; barefoot in the snow would be neglect.

For all the facts and figures we have at our fingertips, despite our own intelligence and that of our parents, our peers or our educators, this capacity to blow things out of proportion and see the negatives of a situation is seemingly a quirk of human nature rather than good or bad parenting. Hans Rosling, a medical professional, teacher of global health students and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, spent the last decades of his life first investigating it and then writing up his findings in the hope of reaching a wider audience to spread understanding of why it happens and how to overcome it. He didn’t live to see his work completed but his son and daughter-in-law have recently published ‘Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think’ an excellent book that would do none of us any harm to read.