Parents worst nightmare

[runner26.2]

There have been some great suggestions here about helping to identify children if they get lost. Some I had thought of, others it hadn't even occurred to me.

Having said that, if there is anywhere I would prefer to lose a child it would be WDW. Compared to a shopping mall or large urban area it is EXTREMELY safe. A pedophile/predator is not going to buy an admission ticket and subject themselves to the surveillance present in order to abduct a child. The effort it takes to get into (and out of) WDW is not something they are interested in. A shopping mall is a 30 second get away. WDW is 15 minutes or more.

So while losing a child at WDW is terrifying and upsetting the reality is your child is no where near at as much risk as if they were in a mall.

I realize its not much consolation, but hopefully this puts the actual risk in perspective.

 

[rileyroosmom]

While getting ready for a day at the parks, My dh took my 3 kids outside to look at the ducks while I got ready. After a while my oldest came in the room looking for my 3 year old daughter.....WHAT???!!!!
We were racing around the grounds of that resort like mad men. I ran to the pool and spoke the the lifeguard who first confirmed she wasn't in the pool and second used the walkie talkie to contact all the employees in the resort. We had everyone from mangagers to towel boys looking for her. With all that water around the resort, I was convinced she had drowned. Never thought anyone would have taken her.
I nice woman had offered to help me look (my husband had gone a different way to look). While walking past my room I heard a child crying. Turned out to be my daughter, in someone else's room!!!! It appears she got confused and walked into a room 3 doors down and was playing with a pink backpack full of dolls and things!!!
She was missing more than an hour. After I found her, I contacted an employee to let them know to call off the search. Turns out, the manager was getting ready to call an ambulance for my husband because he was convinced my husband was having a heart attack!! The man selling DVC gave my daughter stickers and a pin and my son had put down his mug to look for her and someone stole it!! Manager happily replaced it. I was very pleased with the way Disney empolyees handled the situation.
Very scary time. We were much more observant after that. It only takes 1 second to loose a little one.

 

[mommaU4]

There have been some great suggestions here about helping to identify children if they get lost. Some I had thought of, others it hadn't even occurred to me.

Having said that, if there is anywhere I would prefer to lose a child it would be WDW. Compared to a shopping mall or large urban area it is EXTREMELY safe. A pedophile/predator is not going to buy an admission ticket and subject themselves to the surveillance present in order to abduct a child. The effort it takes to get into (and out of) WDW is not something they are interested in. A shopping mall is a 30 second get away. WDW is 15 minutes or more.

So while losing a child at WDW is terrifying and upsetting the reality is your child is no where near at as much risk as if they were in a mall.

I realize its not much consolation, but hopefully this puts the actual risk in perspective.

I hope you are right about the predators that are out there. But then again they are called that for a reason and they go to places where the "prey" is. Maybe not actually in the parks themselves but at the fast food places in the areas, DTD, even at the hotels. Not to keep bringing up Oprah but the show I watched about this recently (did anyone see it like a week or two ago?) talked about how manipulative and cunning these people can be. And it's usually not random. They wait for you to let your guard down.

Anyways in the parks I do think the chances of someone trying to "steal" your child are in fact very slim. I was more concerned with them just being so distracted that they wandered off on their own. Or in the confusion one parent thinks the child is with the other and vice versa. Which apparently has happened to several people. But I agree with one of the earlier posts that it only takes a second.