# When we think our kids are prepared then!



## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

Last evening just before dark my wife came in the house to tell me a young girl was on the streets trying to get home. The girl about 13 years old had no coat and was crying. My wife knows not to go alone with anyone strange so she got me. We got in our truck and picked the girl up and found she did not even know her home address. She was about five miles from home as it turned out. 

I make a policy of never taking a kid in my vehicle without a woman present. I don't want a situation where there is any question as to intentions. the child had been with 'friends" and they had dumped her on the highway out side of town and she had walked several miles in the cold. I called our friend at the police department to let them know we had the girl and were transporting her in case the family was looking for her. We had her call home and no one answered. 

when we got to her house she had her key and was able to go right in. We did wait to be sure she was okay before driving off. the thing that got me was the fact she knew her home number but not her address or way to get home. She had no idea of how to use her SMART PHONE to route her way back home. It really made me wonder just how prepared my kids were at her age. You think you know what they will do but that may not be the case. GB


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## Saffer (Aug 3, 2012)

Is it just me? There seem to be so many things wrong in this scenario!


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

When I was old enough to understand numbers and names I knew my home address, phone number and my nearest relatives'. I was four, at thirteen I knew how to take all city transports and how to get from city to city on Greyhound and Trailways. I also knew how to make airline reservations without a credit card.

Something is wrong with this scenario, some form of abuse through neglect or parent absenteeism.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Same here Saffer...

Thankfully, Bub knows all that. He knows 8 phone numbers of family to call, his way home straight from school (highway for 2 miles) and also the old road. I have tested him while in the car. 

He also knows how to use GPS on our phones and his tablet.

It seems pretty irresponsible of the parents to not teach their child basic info. Have the cops do a welfare check every so often if you can.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Every twist of thought provides me with another question about this girl and those around her. The worst part is that I think I know the answers. Thank you for sharing this… I think.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My 3 year old can recite our address, phone number, my name, wife's name, both of our places of employment and both of our cell phone numbers. She can dial 911 and knows what to say when they answer. She clearly understands both of the safe words that we use and she also knows the danger words (and what to do if she hears them). She also knows exactly how to escape during a fire and where to go. From the sounds of it she's 10 years younger and 10 times smarter than the girl you picked up. Fortunately she was found by someone like you and not someone with darkness inside of them.


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## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

GrinnanBarrett said:


> Last evening just before dark my wife came in the house to tell me a young girl was on the streets trying to get home. The girl about 13 years old had no coat and was crying. My wife knows not to go alone with anyone strange so she got me. We got in our truck and picked the girl up and found she did not even know her home address. She was about five miles from home as it turned out.
> 
> I make a policy of never taking a kid in my vehicle without a woman present. I don't want a situation where there is any question as to intentions. the child had been with 'friends" and they had dumped her on the highway out side of town and she had walked several miles in the cold. I called our friend at the police department to let them know we had the girl and were transporting her in case the family was looking for her. We had her call home and no one answered.
> 
> when we got to her house she had her key and was able to go right in. We did wait to be sure she was okay before driving off. the thing that got me was the fact she knew her home number but not her address or way to get home. She had no idea of how to use her SMART PHONE to route her way back home. It really made me wonder just how prepared my kids were at her age. You think you know what they will do but that may not be the case. GB


No matter what her (so called) friends or parents did or didn't do, you know you did the right thing and as some of our Australian members might say "good on ya mate". :2thumb:


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## brightstar (Apr 24, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> My 3 year old can recite our address, phone number, my name, wife's name, both of our places of employment and both of our cell phone numbers. She can dial 911 and knows what to say when they answer. She clearly understands both of the safe words that we use and she also knows the danger words (and what to do if she hears them). She also knows exactly how to escape during a fire and where to go. From the sounds of it she's 10 years younger and 10 times smarter than the girl you picked up. Fortunately she was found by someone like you and not someone with darkness inside of them.


Our 4 yr old is the same way. She's very good with directions and might not be able to tell you street names but can point you left or right at intersections to get to our house, her moms house, or her grandparents. If she's somewhere unfamiliar, she knows to tell someone she lives near the bed and breakfast in Arcadia (at the end of our street) and can direct them from there.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

When I was a tadpole Mom put a tag around my neck with my name, address and telephone number AND I wasn't allowed to leave the property!

Work sent me out east for a month's worth of training. Family came with me for the first 2 weeks. When the family flew back home it was our 12 year old daughter that figured out the flight terminals, gates, flight times and guided the Wife and 9 year old son home.

Then there are ones like the OP commented on. Lady went to the Dentist wearing head phones to have a root canal. Doctor gave her a shot to put her to sleep and gently removed the head phones because they were in the way. Lady Died!? During the investigation an Officer listened to what the Lady was listening to on her head phones. Breath in....breath out....breath in.... I think there are too many people these days that without continuous detailed instructions they would die.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

*when we got to her house she had her key and was able to go right in. We did wait to be sure she was okay before driving off.*

I think I would have had a cop there before I drove off, just suppose the parents were not coming home that night or they were going to be very late, I would want everyone to know that the kid was alright when we left and there was no one lurking around the house.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Ask any student today about American history, geography, or map reading and you will be shock at the level of ignorance, this is to include high school of learning students, Harvard school of business students got caught cheating, the entire class, Harvard now ,our future politicians as so forth .Right after my Army service I took a electrician course, the class had several fresh high school graduates and sad to said fail the required math and reading test , on a national television show, (60 minutes), several employers looking for employees stated that new applicants fail to fill an application, lack the mental and mechanical aptitude to filled the positions, while migrants with some language barriers could have filled them if they had the proper immigration papers. We all know the problems facing this country in education ,here is a look.
http://ourtimes.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/oecd-education-rankings/

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army. ~Edward Everett


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## BlueShoe (Aug 7, 2010)

My first thought is she's mentally slow and her friends were probably sexual partners who used her and set her out.


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## boomer (Jul 13, 2011)

And parents may have been working on the information required for years. Please note the may have part. You just never know.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

So let me get this straight... she had a phone and didn't call 911? She just got in a car with strangers (no offense Grin..)? You had to suggest to her to call home?

Something was definitely wrong there. Thankfully good people (you and your wife) helped her out.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Sentry18 said:


> My 3 year old can recite our address, phone number, my name, wife's name, both of our places of employment and both of our cell phone numbers. She can dial 911 and knows what to say when they answer.


Your kids have had the same address for for more than a few weeks. In all likelihood, you've had the same home & cell phone numbers forever. For a lot of kids, those things change every few weeks.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

tsrwivey said:


> Your kids have had the same address for for more than a few weeks. In all likelihood, you've had the same home & cell phone numbers forever. For a lot of kids, those things change every few weeks.


Yep. Wife has a Nephew. In one week he is shuttled from the Father to the Grandmother to the Ex-wife to the Great-grandmother to the Ex-ex-wife and back to the Father. Bright kid but without any structure so he has failed two grades.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

*Our house is like a magnet for kids in some ways.*



Sentry18 said:


> My 3 year old can recite our address, phone number, my name, wife's name, both of our places of employment and both of our cell phone numbers. She can dial 911 and knows what to say when they answer. She clearly understands both of the safe words that we use and she also knows the danger words (and what to do if she hears them). She also knows exactly how to escape during a fire and where to go. From the sounds of it she's 10 years younger and 10 times smarter than the girl you picked up. Fortunately she was found by someone like you and not someone with darkness inside of them.


For years it seems like our house has been a magnet for lost kids. They see my wife and my own kids in the yard out front not hidden in the back yard inside of a fence. I think the fact that we are involved in our community in church, at the YMCA, and in our schools the kids recognize us. I am so glad that we get the chance to be there for them. I know that others around us would do the same for our children and grand children.

It scares me to see the ones that have no clue as to what they need to do.

It is sort of like having your kids know what to do about guns in the house. My kids grew up with them and knew from early age that all guns were loaded as far as they were concerned. (Most were not but that is another story). GB


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

Then there's the other end of the spectrum, where a 2 year old calls 911 when Mama goes into diabetic shock, or whatever. :scratch

Guess "haves" & "have-nots" doesn't apply to just money.


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## Aliaysonfire (Dec 18, 2012)

tenOC said:


> My first thought is she's mentally slow and her friends were probably sexual partners who used her and set her out.


Ya. I kinda got that there was more to the story too.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*I found*



GrinnanBarrett said:


> For years it seems like our house has been a magnet for lost kids. They see my wife and my own kids in the yard out front not hidden in the back yard inside of a fence. I think the fact that we are involved in our community in church, at the YMCA, and in our schools the kids recognize us. I am so glad that we get the chance to be there for them. I know that others around us would do the same for our children and grand children.
> 
> It scares me to see the ones that have no clue as to what they need to do.
> 
> It is sort of like having your kids know what to do about guns in the house. My kids grew up with them and knew from early age that all guns were loaded as far as they were concerned. (Most were not but that is another story). GB


About eight years ago, I was leaving on a job about four o'clock in the morning and as I went to pull out of the driveway, a naked 12 year old boy peeps up at me out of the ditch in front of the lot .

I asked him what he was doing and he said he was going to the store for his mom.

I took him into the office and called 911.

While I was waiting, I helped him put on an old pair of coveralls.

Turned out he was sleep walking and he had no idea where he was.

A deputy Sheriff took him home and brought back my coveralls.

It was a Hell of a way to start the day !


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

GB thank you and your wife for being good humans !! I would not be surprised if this child had simply not been taught her address, some parents just don't think about what could happen, some people think it you ignore things they are not there.


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## Aliaysonfire (Dec 18, 2012)

BillM said:


> About eight years ago, I was leaving on a job about four o'clock in the morning and as I went to pull out of the driveway, a naked 12 year old boy peeps up at me out of the ditch in front of the lot .
> 
> I asked him what he was doing and he said he was going to the store for his mom.
> 
> ...


Oh man. That's a hell of a story bill. Glad you were the one who found him.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*I was*



Aliaysonfire said:


> Oh man. That's a hell of a story bill. Glad you were the one who found him.


I was just glad it wasn't a naked 12 year old girl !


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