To be genuinely scared of the world we live in

I should add, none of them actually have children! So, there's that...

I remember crying through 9/11, holding my newborn wondering what the actual fuck world I'd brought them into. It's a completely normal response. I had a very interesting conversation with my 4 now adult children this weekend where they were all saying they won't allow their kids to have a smart phone until they're at least in HS (ie 14 and above) and that they believe the internet is the most dangerous thing in our lives now.

Sorry, what I meant is that the context of the OP’s discussion is about violence, on a scale we’d hope not to encounter in a modern and developed society. Not about health and disease - areas in which we have developed and have made massive medical progress.

Was mass violent crime against children prevalent centuries ago?

Well yes it is the point. We still live in a statistically very safe country.

This isn’t really the point of the thread though is it? As a society we should hope and expect to make medical progress, and to hope for less war. The state of increasing violence and aggressive crime though feels like a huge step backwards.

What a weird post

I went back recently and in a way it helped. Other than the fact it looked a complete mess with rubbish everywhere (typical Bolton...) but there were families just like us having fun on the park and it honestly made me feel a bit calmer about things. Like awful things happen but it can still be ok.

A terrible event. But always always look for the good. The brave people who helped plus paramedics, police, doctors, surgeons, nurses etc

I feel shocked and quite shaken by the evil acts of that 17 year old today. I cried thinking of the parents and victims. The news has been full or crime lately. I am on the fence about having kids and it might seem dramatic but I thought bloody hell what world would I be bringing them into. I understand why you feel the way you do.

Going to take a detox from socials and news though. I seen an XL bully yesterday and nearly injured myself as I leapt into my car away from it. I know that's a total reaction to the media's perception of them and although I don't trust them, I was shaking with fear because all the stories I've read on social media and news. Maybe you could take a break too, it might help. ❤️

I can’t stop thinking about them. I locked the front door tonight after the kids were in bed and said to my husband that a family were locking their door tonight without their child in their house. They were there this morning and tonight just gone. They’re expected to continue on their life now after this. It’s just devastating beyond words!

When I first heard about it this afternoon and some reports were saying it was a nursery, my immediate reaction was that I wanted to move abroad as my child is nursery age. Obviously it turns out it wasn’t but since thinking that myself I’ve seen so many tweets and videos tonight from people saying the same thing. I do think thousand’s of brits will take a more serious look at leaving the country if it starts to become an unsafe place to bring up a family

100 years ago many children died from diseases we now vaccinate against. Less that 100 years ago we send our young lads off in their hundreds of thousands to the front line never to return.

The U.K. is a far safer place now, despite the horrors of today.

And that’s a much better way to talk about psychosis in the context of murderers thank you.

Im not saying it doesn’t happen. It absolutely does. If this guy had picked random people on a street then yeah I might be thinking potential psychotic. But this guy was way too focused. 99% of psychotics would have got distracted and murdered someone else by that point.

There has been stabbings with machetes, rapes and all sorts here recently. It is terrifying.

A lot of Mumsnet don't get it because they don't and haven't lived in an area like Bolton.

I understand you OP. I am terrified for my daughter's, men seem to grow more and more hateful of women and girls daily.

I agree with this sentiment, there has been a real and palpable shift towards people just being more aggressive, less tolerant, less kind. People looking for trouble, looking for arguments.

I pulled into a confusingly marked disabled bay yesterday at the same time as a delivery driver (it was also marked as a loading bay). Before we’d even exchanged glances, he was shouting at me aggressively, gesticulating wildly and threatening me. Then accused me of not being disabled and demanded to see the badge (I was driving my disabled father in his car, with a badge, who he hadn’t clocked). It was demeaning and got very heated when I actually bit back at him. All in front of two cafes full of people. It left me very shaken and further stressed out in an already stressful situation.

Absolutely unnecessary and completely avoidable situation.

It’s a normal response OP, especially if you have some personal experience. The whole country is horrified.

I really recommend you stay off your phone and then news for a few days. Try not to think too much about it. xxx

1 in 5 murderers are psychotic or delusional, with 33% of murderers having schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Quick google/wiki info on murderers who kill randomly.,
Seems to me ordinary people have good cause to petition for better mental health care and treatment.

I mentioned on another thread about this (the one that got zapped) that a reduction in the homicide rate does not necessarily mean that society has become less violent, it may only mean that improvements in public knowledge, infrastructure and medical treatment mean that fewer victims of violence die from their injuries.

Nowadays people may have done first aid courses or learned what to do in a medical emergency from watching television; people have mobile phones to call emergency services and to be instructed on how to treat the victim; we have ambulances full of modern medical equipment, motorcycle paramedics, air ambulances; we have modern medicines and surgical treatments. Even things such as street-lighting and modern road surfaces make a difference.

Were people more violent 50 or 500 years ago or are we just more likely to survive injuries today? Can we congratulate ourselves on being better people or do we just have better medical treatment? How many of the people who survived today's incident would have survived in the past?

This was a terrible crime and my heart aches for the families involved. However, if you live in the UK this is probably one of the safest times in history for you and your children OP.

I know that’s small comfort right now as there are families this evening who will never see their children again and I can’t even begin to imagine what that feels like. I pray for them.

My daughter did a very similar class two weeks ago at the start of the Scottish holidays up here, in a church hall in a quiet residential area.
It feels far too similar.
I run a kids fitness club and we often have the doors open to let air in - especially in the summer. I'm now thinking we maybe can't do that now.

Well I will agree with you there but not ‘everyone of not sound mind’ is psychotic!

This world try the U.K. this is not happening in many other places. It is disgraceful that we have this number of knives attacks daily.

I feel utterly sick about it all.
My sister and some other family members live in Southport so when I heard there were stabbings, I called to make sure they were ok. When they told me it had been children that were attacked, I assumed they must've read a false article or seen some bs on TikTok because I couldn't understand why anyone would stab children.
When it was confirmed to be children all over the news, I just felt sick.

Those poor poor kids. I can't even comprehend what they've been through today.

@Inlaw people of sound mind don’t act this way?

I only feel like this when I fill my head with news every day. We’re not supposed to know so much. These things are in the news because they are so extreme. The media earns a lot of money showing us these things.