I think that a lot of this comes from the media sensationalizing violence. You need to know the facts of your neighborhood. I used to sneak out of my house at 3 am and walk around my town just because my parents wouldn't give me any freedom. I never got kidnapped. I never got abducted and sold to the sex trade. I understand your feeling Tishie but I really feel that some of your fears are a little irrational. Mostly because I used to have those fears and my T flat out told me that I was being irrational. So I went to a self defense class and learned the facts.

Most people who are kidnapped/raped - it is done by someone they know.

Typically when people rob a place with a gun, they have no intention of actually using it. They're usually too scared to even know how to use it.

You cannot get straight facts except to go and ask police. Some sites say violence has gone down since the 70s and some say it has gone up since then.

You say its not because you don't trust your kids, you just don't trust the other people? So why not give them the power to defend themselves? That's just teaching them to live a life of fear. I know that, even though any guy who is going to mug me is most likely going to be bigger than me, I know exactly what to do in that situation. I have been tested with 2 policemen running at me attacking me and I beat the crap out of both of them (for the class of course).

One time I was standing on the sidewalk in a town I had never been to before, by myself, a guy came up to me and put his arm around me and tried to walk away with me so I punched him dead in the chest screamed at him until someone came and took him away and I walked back inside.

I am not defenseless, neither are your children. Teach them, don't scare them.