So I was sitting last night at dinner in a local family chain eatery, watching in horror as children as young as 5 were being left completely unsupervised in a crowded restaurant, planning a long rant recounting all the times I’ve seen this happen lately. And then I realized that I can’t say a darned thing.
The reason I can’t say anything beyond hypotheticals is the very reason it horrifies, or should horrify, all parents: What if a monster happened to be there at the right place and time? Thus I cannot in good conscience give any specifics, even though sadly the specifics are right there in the open in any place where families gather. I have seen a parent send a 5 year old to the bathroom alone, and watched several adults enter and exit the same bathroom, while the parent’s back is turned. I have seen a child exit a gated playground when another parent opened the gate, sending that other parent into a panic–ohmygosh I didn’t mean to let him out his mom is going to freak–as the child walked away, to his family sitting 30-40 feet away sipping coffee.
I guess people aren’t seeing the same world that I see, in which these sorts of lapses of security are unimaginable. And that’s all I want to say about it. Parents, watch your kids. And that’s one to grow on.
Note: I also urge commenters not to reveal times and places that they have witnesses similar scenes.
The Sac Rag 
I think of all the times I walked home from school as a child usually with only my sister or a classmate as a companion. Back then (late 80s & early 90s) we worried about being accosted by a stranger, but it was not at the same level of anxiety as it is today.
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