RE: Kids missing from CG near Disney

wssfetch · Sep 28, 2003, 07:05 PM

Just read in the paper this morning that two girls are missing from a campground near Disney in Kissimmee, Florida. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.sptimes.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/APState.woa/wa/story?id=FL_Missing_Sisters

Keep a close eye on your children!

tlhdoc · Jan 19, 2003, 07:25 PM

wssfetchKids that age should know to stay close, but you can t depend on the kids to think about what they are doing. I am glad they were found OK. At the Eagles Peak Rally lst September one of the people in our group had their 7 year old son come over to our camper. I knew he was coming over after he ate so I didn t think anything of it. Our A/C was on and I didn t know they were looking for him for 15 minutes. It doesn t take long for a kid to disappear.[

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birol · Jan 19, 2003, 07:54 PM

wssfetchTlhdoc, you state that they were found , I hope so, the world is such a scary place for children of any ages, it wasn t like this when/where I was growing up ......

Birol

wssfetch · Jan 20, 2003, 02:32 AM

wssfetchBirol, yep. They apparently went for a walk in some woods, it started getting dark and they were disoriented and spent the night in the woods. Then found their way out this morning. Their mom says she will make sure they have a cell phone in the future. Probably a good idea!

fivegonefishing · Jan 20, 2003, 09:15 AM

wssfetch

QuoteORIGINAL: wssfetch
Their mom says she will make sure they have a cell phone in the future. Probably a good idea!

Anytime I hear about kids missing my stomach does flips. Our kids are still too young to venture off by themselfs to far, but if we do send them on monitored chores, we always give the eldest an FRS. I m thinking of getting two extra radio s for the boys this summer as well!

Tammy

tlhdoc · Jan 20, 2003, 09:16 AM

wssfetchWe use the radios. It gives you a little piece of mind when they leave your eye sight. [

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birol · Jan 20, 2003, 10:04 AM

wssfetchCall us overprotective ..

Daughter 10 does not go anywhere we can t see her except to her friends house. If we are out in nature, she is always visible. No parks with her friends of same age, no mall etc ...

Son, almost 14 now (One month to go), when he goes to the park to play with his friends or bike raiding always takes his FRS, and has to check in every 30 minutes.

I don t trust my daughter to make the right judgement calls yet, son, maybe.

Starryart · Jan 20, 2003, 11:32 AM

wssfetchThere is nothing wrong with being cautious, especially with things being as they are these days. Not like when I was a kid (many many moons ago).
When DD was young she had to wear her " whistle" around her neck and her watch, while we were camping or at our little cabin in the mountains. Just in case she had a problem, the whistle could be heard for a long distance and the watch was so she would not stay out too long (we would synchronize before she left).
Now she is 17 and she still has to check in with us via cell phone. (What a wonderful invention!) When she drives to a friend s house, she has to call us when she arrives and calls us when she get ready to leave so we know to expect her home in reasonable time. With the traffic so bad these days, we worry.
She definitley has curfews,too. So far we must have done something right because she has always been in on time or she calls us if there are circumstances beyond her control. She doesn t fuss about having a curfew either. She knows she has some freedoms as long as she keeps the rules. With a phone we can check up on her. (" We trust you but keep in touch." )
It works for us.

Gamecock Camper · Jan 20, 2003, 11:48 AM

wssfetchA two-way radio could have prevented those kids from being lost. A whistle around the neck would have also given them a chance at being found before morning. Besides our kids using those tools, they use the buddy system and we always know where they are going and when they will be back. This is a good reminder and warning to all of us that when you are in an unfamiliar place, it is really easy to get lost. I m just glad that they were found, are healthy, and in the big scheme of things will be ok. I can t even imagine being a parent in that situation.

birol · Jan 20, 2003, 09:57 PM

wssfetchGeeees,

Daughter comes home from school crying so hard. Turns out She got off the bus at the wrong stopand had to run after the bus till its next stop, got back in, and the driver dropped her in front of the house after doing his normal run.

His brother was sick and she was expected to come home with the neighbours kids. Even without them, she should have been able to get out her stop. Obviously she missed it. It is a miracle she came back home safe. The neighbours kids obviously got picked up from school/ We trusted her with the bus routien as she was able to do it at grades 3 without a hitch, now she is at 5 th grade, this was so totally unexpected. How could we have prepared her for this I don t know.

We will take her through the bus route and make her learn the key marks, how to decide the right stop etc. With all the stuff going on, this was a very close call !!!

DW and I felt so bad about this. Was it too much to expect her to get off the bus at the right stop and walk home 100 meters ?

Birol

camphost · Jan 21, 2003, 03:32 PM

wssfetchWe had some lost children in our campground last summer. Fortunately all was fine, they were not far away and were located by rangers and camp hosts quickly. BUT I would like to recommend to all parents, when you get to a campground, PLEASE give your children a campground map. Mark on the map where you are camped, where the ranger station is, even the camp host sites, etc. These children were still in the campground but had NO idea where they were camped. There parents were in site A30, but they only knew 30. They had a piece of paper in their pocket where an adult had written " 30" , but not " A" . We only have 4 loops so it was not a problem in our campground, but it might be somewhere else. Please take a few minutes to mark a map and stick it in your childs pocket. Orient them, kids are smart and want to learn. In most campgrounds it is safe for them to walk around some with their brothers or sisters or friends (depending on age). It is good for them to learn to navigate a little. Camping is a great opportunity for learning new things for all of us. Happy Camping!!!

Camping Coxes · Jan 22, 2003, 01:37 AM

wssfetchThe first thing I said when I read this story was, " Two-way radios would have solved this." They were actually very close to their campsite, from what I understand. Even if the reception was bad, the static if the radio was turned up loud would have helped them be found.

Some days our son has to walk home from school. Some days he wants to walk, even though he knows I m on my way to get him. We ve talked about getting him a cell phone so we can let him know what s going on -- I m right around the corner, stay put, or I m far from you, start walking and I ll find you on your route. But he s only 12 1/2 and I don t trust him to take care of it and use it only for that purpose. This is a kid who can t even remember to take his house key with him most times.

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