As I read a recent ABC News report, a story from my childhood resurfaced. Brittany Patterson of Mineral Bluff, Georgia, was at a doctor's appointment when her nearly 11-year-old son left the house and was seen alone. The police were alerted and took the boy home. Later, they cuffed Patterson in front of her kids and charged her with endangering her son's bodily safety. The Division of Family and Child Services demanded she download a GPS app. But she refused, and this incident became a hot topic on social media.

My Experience as a Kid in the '70s

Back in the '70s, it was a different and better time. We kids were free to roam on foot or by bike as long as we got home for dinner and before the streetlights came on. My older sisters were supposed to watch me while my mother did laundry, but Krissy gave me a cardboard coin and I went to a convenience store three blocks away. My mother was upset when she realized I was missing, but I was found quickly and no one ratted her out. Back then, there were only three network television channels, and parents' fears weren't constantly stoked by sensational news stories.Despite today's increased parental paranoia, the likelihood of a child being kidnapped is no higher than in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. There are about 40 million elementary-school-age children in America, and each year about 115 are kidnapped, while nearly 140,000 are injured in car wrecks. Our TV and cable news media have spent decades exaggerating and inflaming fears about children's safety. As a result, we've become a fearful culture that's afraid to let our children explore and learn on their own.It's a shame that any parent today might face judgment for a child's innocent actions like slipping out with a paper coin. We should remember that children need some freedom to grow and develop.