Ten years ago tomorrow, a beautiful young girl disappeared in Aruba. As a mother of a teen at the time, I was riveted by the story for several reasons. Mothers "mother" and allow their children independence in steps. We try and balance safety and common sense with allowing a young person to grow up and make some independent decisions.
Sadly, there are too many predators ready to take advantage of naivete.
Looking back at my upbringing, in a world which has long gone, I remember the amount of freedom we had as kids and teens to learn to judge situations. Prudence is a virtue which can be learned through practice. But, now, most young people are treated like "hot-house" plants because too many parents fall into fear. No doubt, the world is a more dangerous place than 1965, or 1975.
Tragically, there is a long list of missing children, and the horror stories, all true, of pedophilia in England by gangs which groom girls for sex. do mean that a parent has to train children and teens to be careful, avoid "bad places" and no out with people one does not know.
The main suspect is now in prison for twenty-eight years for a murder in Peru. That young woman was killed five years ago today, and exactly five years after the first one disappeared.
I have believed that the lack of male protector-types has led to the increased level of violent crimes against women. I pray that more boys are raised to be protectors rather than predators. Predators must be gross narcissists. They have no moral framework or ethical reference outside their own desires and passions.
Two young women, one dead and one most likely dead, needed protectors on May 30th, 2005 and 2010.
