This is the dream I had in March.
Jack and I go to the grocery store. We have a list of stuff to buy. Some young guys kind of tease us about that, but I don't get offended. I just say something like we probably do better without a list, because we end up forgetting stuff on the list. Jack rushes off to other side of grocery store. I don't think much of it. I finish what I need to finish, and head towards the other side of the store. As I'm walking there, Jack comes my way. In front of him is the ghost of Grandpa Ed. Jack doesn't seem to see him. I'm not too phased by the ghost...it's like this is fairly normal....seeing your dead grandfather in the grocery store. Grandpa Ed seems nervous and scared. He tells me to stay close to Jack. I listen to his advice and take it to heart. We head to the produce, then Jack stops at at an aisle with kid furniture and toys. I'm about to protest, but decide it's not a big deal. Let him see the toys. Then Grandpa Ed reappears again. He warns me, but before I can do anything, a man grabs Jack, picks him up, and starts heading away. I can't figure out how to stop him.
Then I woke up.
It was a terrifying dream, and brought up a scary situation I had never considered before. Like most parents, I have a fear of my child being kidnapped. But in my nightmarish daydreams, it happens because I'm not watching closely enough. It happens because I've given him too much freedom. Am I taking too big of a risk by letting him walk around a holiday park by himself? Is it too big of a risk to let him go look at children's books while I look at the travel books? Can I let him go an aisle ahead of me in the grocery store, or am I putting him in danger? What if I'm taking a shower, and someone breaks into the house and grabs him? What if we're at a party with a lot of people, and another guest happens to be a psychotic kidnapper?
The scary nightmare with my grandfather made me realize that children can be kidnapped right under our noses. Someone can take my child with me standing right there...simply because I'm not strong enough and fast enough to fight back.
Today I watched the Rabbit Proof Fence kidnapping scene on the Australian Screen Website. I really FELT for these mothers because I've been there....THANKFULLY not in reality. I pray and hope that my family never has to experience anything like that. And my heart goes out to all the families who have their families ripped apart by strangers.
I really don't care if people "meant well" as they did the kidnapping. And I don't care that SOME children were better off. The Nazis "meant well" when they decided to rid the world of Jews. George W. Bush "meant well" when he decided to invade Iraq.
"Meaning well" can be a REASON for bad behavior, but it's not an excuse.
Jack and I go to the grocery store. We have a list of stuff to buy. Some young guys kind of tease us about that, but I don't get offended. I just say something like we probably do better without a list, because we end up forgetting stuff on the list. Jack rushes off to other side of grocery store. I don't think much of it. I finish what I need to finish, and head towards the other side of the store. As I'm walking there, Jack comes my way. In front of him is the ghost of Grandpa Ed. Jack doesn't seem to see him. I'm not too phased by the ghost...it's like this is fairly normal....seeing your dead grandfather in the grocery store. Grandpa Ed seems nervous and scared. He tells me to stay close to Jack. I listen to his advice and take it to heart. We head to the produce, then Jack stops at at an aisle with kid furniture and toys. I'm about to protest, but decide it's not a big deal. Let him see the toys. Then Grandpa Ed reappears again. He warns me, but before I can do anything, a man grabs Jack, picks him up, and starts heading away. I can't figure out how to stop him.
Then I woke up.
It was a terrifying dream, and brought up a scary situation I had never considered before. Like most parents, I have a fear of my child being kidnapped. But in my nightmarish daydreams, it happens because I'm not watching closely enough. It happens because I've given him too much freedom. Am I taking too big of a risk by letting him walk around a holiday park by himself? Is it too big of a risk to let him go look at children's books while I look at the travel books? Can I let him go an aisle ahead of me in the grocery store, or am I putting him in danger? What if I'm taking a shower, and someone breaks into the house and grabs him? What if we're at a party with a lot of people, and another guest happens to be a psychotic kidnapper?
The scary nightmare with my grandfather made me realize that children can be kidnapped right under our noses. Someone can take my child with me standing right there...simply because I'm not strong enough and fast enough to fight back.
Today I watched the Rabbit Proof Fence kidnapping scene on the Australian Screen Website. I really FELT for these mothers because I've been there....THANKFULLY not in reality. I pray and hope that my family never has to experience anything like that. And my heart goes out to all the families who have their families ripped apart by strangers.
I really don't care if people "meant well" as they did the kidnapping. And I don't care that SOME children were better off. The Nazis "meant well" when they decided to rid the world of Jews. George W. Bush "meant well" when he decided to invade Iraq.
"Meaning well" can be a REASON for bad behavior, but it's not an excuse.
