Scaring your kids to get the message across, is it a good idea?

[Emjay18]

The comment about setting your kids on fire to make them learn is idiotic. My children actually got to see/experience the danger of fire every time they went camping and we sat around a camp fire. They watched it melt cans and bottles. The potential danger was real to them. I am a hunter, as such I have guns in the house. They are locked away in a safe which requires both a key and a combination to open. Despite that, I wanted to make sure they understood fully that guns were not toys. To ensure this, I took them hunting with me quite regularly when they were younger (starting at age 8). I made sure they witnessed what a gun can do first hand. Neither one ever viewed real guns as playthings. With something like kidnapping, all most of us can do is try to talk to them and warn them. Sometimes a talking to or even pictures just don't convey the message as strongly.

I am glad that my children didn't grow up in the current social media age, where people use apps to give out their exact location regularly and think nothing about posting personal information. It can only make the job of the predators that much easier to locate victims. Lets face it. Using the internet someone can "casually" attempt to reach out to ten thousand kids in no time at all. If only 1% even accept an initial facebook friend request (and lets face it more than 1% will just accept anyone), then that is 100 people they get information on and can attempt to get closer to. If 90% of them reject any communication, or seem strong willed that still leaves 10 vulnerable targets. I honestly worry about my granddaughters and what will happen when they get older.

In other words, you're totally scared shitless of the world and completely paranoid about things one cannot control. Clutch your guns closer, Jethro, and perhaps one day they will grant you some testicles and testosterone.

That fear for your granddaughters, logically, should never disappear, since they and everyone else will always be in danger no matter their age. And yet, you're afraid of random strangers on the internet but god forbid you teach them about how to interact with people -- not all of whom are serial rapists -- safely and when to step away from a stranger as well. You have to teach them this though, and not just drag them out hunting with you a few times and pretend to be a good parent. Knowing the velocity of your .223s is irrelevant, how to actually recognize when to protect oneself and not be paranoid ain't.

[Kurioxan]

i just wanted to hear you imply that americans are stupid

Where was this implied? O_o