Lately in my area of Florida at least, people everywhere have decided to get these cute little “stick people families” put on their car window. These decals are to represent your family I am assuming….You can get Dad, Mom, Kids, Dogs, everyone in the family……Now while that is perfectly safe behavior when you have a solid family unit including the father/partners for protection…This is a seriously “High-risk” action to take as a single parent family.
I personally was a single mother for many years of my life, and after completing a degree in criminal justice I realized that certain behaviors are considered “High Risk”. For example, if a 20′s something girl was safe about everything she does during the day, but every so often stops at an ATM after 11pm at night, this would take her from a “Low-risk” position to a “Medium-Risk”. It has been proved that the more “High-risk” tasks you do during any given day, you increase the chance of a crime happening to you.
Now we get to the meat of it, SINGLE MOM’S/DAD’S PLEASE- I’M BEGGING YOU TO READ THIS! I have seen these single mothers with children buying these same “Stick People Families”. Please just consider this…..If some twisted psychopath or even someone with just road rage sees your “Stick Family”….You are telling them you are a single parent unit. THIS IS NOT WISE – If a murderer(or anyone who means you harm) was to see this sticker, he or she could follow you home KNOWING that they will meet with no resistance when they get there. This could inadvertently put you and your loved ones into the “High-Risk” category.
I know these stickers are cute, but would you tell a perfect stranger that you live alone with your small/teen children? HELL NO YOU WOULDN’T! So why are you displaying this information for all to see??? I think this may not have been taken into consideration because people always want to see the good in others. Well from experience I can tell you, IT ONLY TAKES ONE PSYCHO.
I mean think about how people become selected to be kidnapped or even worse. The criminal will look for ways to find out information about your family. THEY WANT a single woman/man with small children, it’s easy to overcome only ONE adult.
I am one of those people that are good, and also look for the good in everyone. The plain and simple truth is….not everyone is harmless.
So PLEASE consider what you are doing when you put your family dynamic up on the back window of your car/minivan/SUV…..BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHO COULD BE WATCHING, AND WHAT THEIR INTENTIONS ARE.
I wish everyone a wonderful and SAFE Holiday Season!
