Missing Kid : Then & Now

i didn't see the 'cerekarama 21 hari' but from what i read, it's about a missing kid. with what's happening in our society these days, it's our worst fear as parents, without a doubt.

kak arin wrote about the importance of keeping physical and eye contact with our kid because just a second off might be too late. read her posting here. like her, i too 'dump' khaleef and kahfi in the shopping trolley while buying grocery. now it's even more mandatory with kazim added to our family.

meanwhile, another friend yus saw the cerekarama with her daughter. interesting enough, though the little girl was worried throughout the tele-movie, but i think in a way it's good that she watched it with her mommy because yus was able to explain, while reminding her daughter what might happen if she strays from her parents. read her posting here.


the comic above might be intended for humor, but there's nothing funny about a kid gone missing. with kak arin and yus's posts, i can't help but going back in time when life was much simpler. and safer.

THEN
when i was 5, staying in ttdi, i was often left home alone after kindy - yong schooling, mak and abah working. no worries - my makcho's (abah's eldest sis) house was behind ours. after kindergarten, i will change my clothes at home, then walked to my makcho's house. alone. 5 years old.
NOW
leave a 5 yr old kid at home like that for at least 3 straight days, chances are some sick person is gonna 'mark' that kid and make their move.

* * *

THEN
still in lower primary school, now in ipoh, i would often walk alone to an apek's house (he made his house into a small grocery shop) to buy chocolates or snacks.
NOW
walk alone to ANYWHERE, and that kid is making him/herself an easy, open target.

* * *

THEN
upper primary, to go to a newly opened supermarket near my house, i would have to pass by a field of tall lalang as high as myself! now the field had been cleared and shophouses were built.
NOW
anyone could've hidden among those tall grass. the kid is as good as gone.

* * *

THEN
as kids abah would make it a point to take us to the public library on weekends. abah and mak would just let us walk around the public library looking for books we like.
NOW
kids. alone. distracted by books. anything could've happened. even in a library.

* * *

THEN
remember when we're younger, everytime the school organized a walkathon, or jogathon, we students can go around the neigbourhood knocking on strangers' doors asking for donation? well, i did that with my neighbour ani. just the two of us. walkin around. 2 girls. barely 13.
NOW
ANYTHING can happen. abducted by car while walking. dragged into a house their knocking on. it's good that just a year after, a new policy was enforced - kids cannot go around by themselves to get donations.

* * *

THEN
with the same neighbour, we would often wake up really early and jog around a pretty quiet neighbourhood even before the sun is up. to top our session, we had a fun time at the playground. (pagi buta takde orang tak la malu sangat nak main swing ngan see-saw hahahahaha)
NOW
are you kidding? it's dark. noone's around. open playground. 2 girls. distracted with playing. we can see where this is going.

* * *

THEN
when in secondary school, i had to walk quite a mile to get to a bus-stop to go to school, or ipoh town.
NOW
again. easy target.

* * *

we do live in a different 'time' and 'place', our kids and us. nowadays, we can NEVER leave our kid out of our sight, even for a moment - and yes, not just when in a crowded mall - but even while playing in our very own front yard.

there are bad, bad people out there, and they need to know that. do not underestimate our kids' understanding of the world. explain slowly, patiently, in a way they can relate to. what to do, what not to do.

their world in which they're growing up now might be more dangerous than what we've experienced as a child, but trust that they're also much smarter - may Allah protect our children!