Times were different way back when....pace was so slow, we were able to wander a few miles from home or perhaps they didn't know where we went? Crime was unheard of for the most part and sexual deviates just didn't exist or at least no one made us aware of them. There were two incidences that happened when I was very young, one occurred when I was 3-6 maybe. We were on our way home from aunties Halloween party, walking with mom and siblings when someone jumped out of the bushes and grabbed my oldest sister. My mom must have grabbed her and said "run" as that's what we did. It seems we were only a block or so from our house. I don't recall that the police were called although my Uncle Bill was called and came. He wasn't really our uncle or at least I don't think he was but he may have been a policeman. I have always felt there was much more to this story, maybe from the comments made that night quietly while we weren't supposed to be hearing:) Alas, I don't remember what was heard but it did cause me to always be suspicious of what really went on that night.

The other event that happened was when I was anywhere from 7-10 years old. We walked to school, me and my friend, from my house to the school crosswalk was 3quarters of a block or so. There was a car parked at the side of the road facing the crosswalk maybe a half a block where a policeman was our crosswalk patrol. Back then or at least in my neighborhood, policemen walked the children across the road with the stop sign in their hand. Back then everyone loved the police and would never have been so disrespectful as to call them 'cops'.
Anyway, we wondered about the man sitting there in the car and being nosy little brats we 'nonchalantly' or so we thought, walked back and forth beside the car trying to see in. I won't tell you what we saw and unfortunately we didn't tell the policeman either. Too bad there wasn't more information given to children about 'danger strangers' or maybe the innocence was best left untouched.

EDIT: I might move this to my blog for those who may be interested.:O)