My mother-in-law was filling me up with two recent brutal murder and rape cases in Malaysia yesterday. I don’t want to talk too much about them, gruesome and sad, you can read them here and here (via Living Gem, there are some great ideas on how to deal with the rapist).

Then she told me about how an acquaintance’s daughter got abducted in broad daylight outside Senai Airport. That girl was waiting for a bus to go home, a van pulled by, grabbed her inside and she was sent to the northern part of west Malaysia. She was almost sold into prostitution across the border at Kelantan, but didn’t because she was without a passport and later managed to escape.

I love girls, they always seem to shower this tenderly loves on their parents, but like what I mentioned before, daughters will always be mommy’s greatest worry. With all these sicko freaks lurking around (and the non psycho heart breaking boys), I don’t know how much risk I am prepared to take in raising the kid. This kind of assault is happening everywhere. These sickening psychos won’t even leave the children or babies alone, how not to worry.

The IKEA abduction case was dismissed as a pure misunderstanding. But just a few days later, there was a report about a toddler near abduction at his own apartment. The gate was left unlocked, the grandparents happened to walk away for a while, a stranger passed by, saw the opportunity and just removed the kid from the house. Luckily the grandfather returned to the living room in time, gave a chase and managed to retrieve the kid.

Most likely, that wasn’t a planned act. It is rare, but it does happen. How about leaving the kid in the library or some playground, while I do my shopping? Or let the kid roam in the toys section while I visit the fitting room. Let the kid walk to school or take public transport, instead of school bus or chauffeuring them personally? Allow the kid to return home late at night alone after catching a movie or attending a party? I hate to be a restrictive parent, I know I have to let go (just like nemo’s father), it is a risk I have to take someday, but don’t know if I can bear the consequences if misfortune struck.

We have heard some famous personalities talking about how their parents train them to be independent, or how they train their kids to be independent. They left their children somewhere in the mall, or on the way home, and let their children find their way home. What if the child is so unlucky and chanced upon a paedophile, a child trafficker, or any desperate person and become victimised. What can I do? Teach her to be smart? Be weary of strangers? Ignore all unauthorised personalities? Let her learn some karate chop and groin kicking stunts? Pray and worry everyday until she returns safely?