Internet Safety

I was watching the news the other night. There was a story about how unsafe our teenagers are while they're on the internet. They were saying that even the tiniest amount of info they post on their profiles can make it easy for a predator to track them down.

I realized that I have my full name and hometown posted right here for the world to see. They said that's not safe. My question is, not safe for me? Or not safe for the dumb bastard that tries to nab me on the street?

My mom always told me that she wasn't worried that someone would grab my sister and me. She was sure that anyone stupid enough to nab us would pay her to take us back. I say stupid enough to nab us, because anyone who would kidnap a child from a single mother working at minimum wage didn't plan very well. I know now that she really was worried that someone would grab us, two pretty, young, blonde girls could be appealing to a perv. (At least one pretty, young, blonde girl was appealing to MY perv. But I was 22 and willing when we met)

I realized also, that I'm too old for most internet predators by at least 10 years or so. The ones who go for women over 17 are on internet dating sites. And even if I were to be captured or something, the guy would have to be pretty sick. A necropheliac for certain, because the only way he would get very far with me is if he killed me first. And I won't just let him kill me either. He's gonna have to really work at it. I figure by the time he actually kills me he'll be too tired to defile my body. And he better hope that Michael doesn't find him before the cops do.

But all of this is really so depressing. It makes me sick to think that people are capable of such terrible things. It also makes me sick to think that parents can raise children to be teenagers without any common sense. Where these kids get the idea that its OK to go meet someone they chatted with on some website is beyond me. They meet ALONE! No group of friends, no public setting. They meet at houses and get high or drunk and then wonder how they got raped or worse! Then their parents try to blame the website because they "never would have met if it wasn't for [the site]" THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE MET IF THEIR PARENTS RAISED THEM WITH COMMON SENSE!

I'm glad I was. Even if I ignore it sometimes, its still there.