Sharks are Lurking Everywhere.....

As I sat on the beach reading the days' news enjoying my fourth of July holiday with my wonderful little gapped-toothed girl, I was stuck by what a metaphor sharks are in real life. Never really being able to relax due to the recent spate of Florida shark bites prompted me to enter the water with Sophia, keeping one eye on her and one eye on our general patch of water. It struck me what a strange way to enjoy something that has come so naturally to me all my life...I am now faced with the fact that there are REAL dangers around us-- all the time in fact. These dangers are often either ignored or placed way back in our conciousness, nevertheless any parent knows of what I speak.

I went into to the water even though I was more comfortable reading my paper because I thought to myself this is what is was like for all the other shark victims families-- relative calm and fun interupted by abject horror and mayhem. In a sense my imagination got the best of me so I figured the best way to allay that fear was to be with my daughter in the water...all 24inches of it, as I kept her close. Sure I realize the lottery winning odds of being bitten by a shark are incredible, but when it comes to something as precious as your child why tempt fate, right? Suffice to say there weren't any shark attacks on this fine day, just children laughing, frolicking and parents smearing sunblock...it was a sunny, typical fourth of July...

The metaphor of the shark hit me as I read of yet another horrible child abuse/abduction, when the little girl in Idaho was released. What could possibly strike more fear into any parents' heart than their innocent child being attacked by a man-eating fish? The answer to this was easy as I read the all too familar stories of these montrously evil people who abduct and torture other people's children with less regard for humanity than a shark. After all, a shark is doing what it is genetically programmed to do..feed. The appetite of these land monsters in our midst is troubling,worrisome and scary. It is in this vain that I have educated myself as to where predators live within relation to me, thankfully the Florida Law Enforcement website affords this capability. Still any unguarded moment whether in front of your house or in front of your beach chair has in it the makings of a nightmare--just turn on the news and look at the children from Camden, the girl in Aruba, the child in Idaho...it's enough to make you want to move to an island off of New Zealand.

I recall fondly my childhood of relative safety and security when I could ride my bike just about anywhere, literally. This fact was supported by my mother's only real fear, which was that us children would mind the traffic lights and intersections...not pedophiles and kidnappers. I have probably cast an overly protective eye on my daughter and will continue to do so for the forseeable future, as it appears we live in a world that is not safe...just as the ocean is dangerous, so too is the land we walk. I try to imagine the fear, pain and sorrow any number of these parents must feel and I think I can to a degree; though I suspect my empathy is a million miles off from their reality.

The lesson? There are many. None more important though than to teach children to fight, scream, and run. For I know with certainty if some sick person is of the mind to abscond with a child, that child has one chance to call for help, or fight....sad but true. It's sad that the world we live in is becoming increasingly dangerous, what with terrorism, encroaching widlife and now even your own neighbors you must constantly cast a jaundiced eye on even the most innane situations. I for one try to make my child aware that there is no one who has been authorized to "pick her up" on my behalf, or has anyone been given any authorization to touch her anywhere--period. It's a fine line -- education vs. innocence, though I suspect I'd rather sacrifice a bit of that innocence for the protection it affords........