What's Going On?

Mothers stabbing children. Fathers stabbing children. A child is abducted, raped and hidden in a landfill. Children and adults dying in an overnight fire. Two children taken from their home, raped and told their families would be killed if they said anything. I'm starting to think that my daughters and son are not safe anywhere. Whether it is Florida or one of the Chicago suburbs the sanctity of life for and the safety of children seems to be in a race against time. When children cannot trust their parents or those that stay in the homes of their family it is understandable how the feelings of fear and trepidation in the neighborhood, the school or the community for our children is in the forefront of our thoughts. Our neighborhood, as serene and middle America as it seems is starting a "Neighborhood Watch" program. An occasional stranger in a vehicle not recognized in the neighborhood will be spotted. Most of the time it is just someone out for a Sunday drive or someone who is lost or looking at homes. Occasionally, though, a suspicious person will be seen sitting in his car or truck looking around. No apparent reason. But it makes us wonder. What or who is he looking for. Is he measuring up the neighborhood and checking out the patterns of the residents for when they are home? There have been a few burglaries. Or is he looking to see who the children are and where and when they play or walk or ride their bikes in the neighborhood? There is never a time when people feel like they can relax anymore. There is never a time when we don't want to know exactly where are children are. It doesn't look like we are going back to the carefree days anytime soon.