A PSA from me… As you watch certain crime dramas you pick up on things. Sure, Criminal Minds is a bit sensationalized and there really aren’t serial killers popping up once or twice a week or we’d be hearing about them. But you can see things in those episodes that make you realize you or friends are leaving themselves vulnerable.
What I picked up from last week’s CM episode is this… we are too comfortable just stopping our car at our destination and picking up our phones to respond to texts….oblivious to everything around us. We don’t know that a driver may have been following us because he thought we cut him off 3 miles back. Or an ex or a biological parent isn’t stalking us because the child in the back seat was once their child. Or that we could just be a random victim.
So, before you pick up those smartphones to start responding to texts, look around and note who is around you and how they are acting or if any car has pulled up next to you or behind you. Or, if it appears that a drug deal is about to go down in the row of cars across from you at that McDonald’s or Sonic or where ever… I’ve personally watched 2 of those.
Just be aware before you bury your nose in your phone and drift unaware for the next 20 minutes…vulnerable.
Also - walking and texting. A teenage girl can get grabbed by a van in 5 secs that way and may never be seen again. Or you can get hit by traffic. Or get carjacked while filling your car. Be aware and warn your kids. My 9 yr old son likes to take our garbage to the dumpster but I watched him stop out there to tie his shoe one time and told him never to do that again because some bad person could grab him in a heartbeat. He mentioned the other day that he remembered that when he was otherwise going to tie his shoe so he didn't. Too vulnerable. Feel free to share this.
What I picked up from last week’s CM episode is this… we are too comfortable just stopping our car at our destination and picking up our phones to respond to texts….oblivious to everything around us. We don’t know that a driver may have been following us because he thought we cut him off 3 miles back. Or an ex or a biological parent isn’t stalking us because the child in the back seat was once their child. Or that we could just be a random victim.
So, before you pick up those smartphones to start responding to texts, look around and note who is around you and how they are acting or if any car has pulled up next to you or behind you. Or, if it appears that a drug deal is about to go down in the row of cars across from you at that McDonald’s or Sonic or where ever… I’ve personally watched 2 of those.
Just be aware before you bury your nose in your phone and drift unaware for the next 20 minutes…vulnerable.
Also - walking and texting. A teenage girl can get grabbed by a van in 5 secs that way and may never be seen again. Or you can get hit by traffic. Or get carjacked while filling your car. Be aware and warn your kids. My 9 yr old son likes to take our garbage to the dumpster but I watched him stop out there to tie his shoe one time and told him never to do that again because some bad person could grab him in a heartbeat. He mentioned the other day that he remembered that when he was otherwise going to tie his shoe so he didn't. Too vulnerable. Feel free to share this.
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