AMBER Alert Broadcast During PBS Children's Show

[robinb]

I am very passionate about this with our ordeal yesterday so forgive me if it comes out harsh but it was a really scary 4 hour ordeal that was SLOWLY working it's way to an alert but thankfully was resolved before that point!

Just hug your kids and do what you can to keep them safe and armed with knowledge!

{{hugs}} to you! I just read what you went through.

 

[summerrluvv]

Oh, and Summerluv - CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PREGNANCY! I must have missed the announcement and i'm usually up on these things!

Thanks! I didn't really make an announcement...well I did on an incognito name before I told everyone IRL

 

[Maleficent13]

Thanks! I didn't really make an announcement...well I did on an incognito name before I told everyone IRL

Oh, that was you! I freaked another poster out because I PM'd her asking if it was her... Congrats!

As to the OP, I agree with the others: anytime, any station.

 

[Hillbeans]

Thanks! I didn't really make an announcement...well I did on an incognito name before I told everyone IRL

I was trying to figure out who that was....HMMMMM.....

Well Congrats! Hope that you ended up finding a good OB!

 

[Tiffer]

IF it saves/find a kid..then great.

We should be teaching our kids about the cold hard reality of child abduction anywa. The old don't take candy from strangers thing is a joke.

Kids should know about the potential dangers out there that they face and try to be educated to undersatnd and prevent them or even thwart them.

 

[NMAmy]

I agree with showing the Amber Alerts any time on any station. All the ones I've seen, though, are on a crawl at the bottom of the screen so really little kids wouldn't be able to read it anyway.

DD's dad is a cop so she's grown up with the two of us making sure she knew what to do in case something like that happened. Knowledge is power. I even showed her how to get to the taillights in the trunk of a car and push them out. I hadn't thought about it but saw it on, I believe, Oprah. As a cop, her dad saw this kind of stuff happening even though we lived in a small town so we wanted to make sure she was prepared--just in case. Just in case you wondered, none of this terrified her or made her scared of people--she's just cautious which is a good thing.

 

[hydster]

{{hugs}} to you! I just read what you went through.

Thank you!

 

[OKW Lover]

How about using the amber alert as an opportunity to both help and teach your child? The two of you can take a look out your window to see if the object of the alert is nearby. Then you can explain to the child that you are helping look for somebody that needs our help.

 

[SadieDog]

I agree with showing the Amber Alerts any time on any station..........Knowledge is power..........

 

[Luv'sTink]

I think the safety of the missing child is more important than scaring a child that is watching TV. If they waited until adult programming to come on to display the Amber Alert, the child could be dead by then.

 

[Cass]

So was the 3 year old boy found??

 

[Daxx]

I am torn about the appropriateness of displaying an AMBER Alert during a children's show. My guess is that 7-8 is the upper age for PBS morning fare with the average being more in the abducted little boy's range of 3-5. Do 5 year olds really need to hear about a small child being taken by a man? Does the scary real world have to intrude on the fantasy world or Barney or Sesame Street?

More than likely, if a child is watching this show, an adult has put it on for them and, therefore, is in the room or the vicinity and can hear this info. Who knows ... the man fitting the description could v. well be their neighbor or someone they know.

And, yes .. the reality is that the scary real world is out there and they need to know how to protect themselves and to not talk to or go w/strangers, etc. Kids need to learn to separate fantasy from reality. I mean, how many of us have seen the talk show where they teach five kids about not going w/a stranger or talking to one and then the talk show sets the same kids up in an area where a guy comes up and tells them his dog is missing and could they help him find the dog ... and, although they've been just talked to about strangers, those kids go off w/the guy. The whole time, the parents are saying "My kid would never do that!" and their kids are the first to walk off w/the guy ... even though they've just heard about not going w/strangers!

I think it's v. important for ALL children to learn the good touch/bad touch and stranger danger and this alert can teach them how the community can help if a child goes missing.

I am all for Amber Alerts during any kind of programming -- better for the info. to be widespread and the child to be found than for it to not be broadcast.

 

[inaminute]

Amber alerts are a necessity and I have no problem with them being broadcast at any time of day, on any station. We need to do whatever is necessary to keep kids safe.

What I DO have a problem with is commercials for feminine hygiene/protection products on children's channels or during children's programming. I was watching with my grandson the other day when one of those came on. I could see the questions forming, but he never asked. It's just a matter of time.

 

[robinb]

So was the 3 year old boy found??

Yes, it was a miscommunication between the people who were taking care of him. He was dropped off at the police station safe and sound.