To be a little annoyed with the message that seems to have been portrayed to the children at DS1's school???

[ToccataAndFudge]

On Friday morning I saw a couple of FB status updates to say that a man had tried to abduct a girl near a local Junior school.

On looking it up on the police website I saw that a 12yr old girl had been approached by a man at 7.45am near one of the schools and she'd run off as she was frightened (or words to those effect).

Later on in the day I saw an update to say they'd arrested someone in connection to the incident and he would be questioned in the evening.

This morning DS1's 2 friends knocked for him and said "we'll make sure we stay close together as someone is going round town trying to adduct children".

I told them what I'd read and they said "oh well that's what the school told us"

AIBU to think that that kind of scaremongering talk isn't really very helpful to anyone??

Perhaps they asked the pupils to do that before the man was arrested, hence the special measures.

As for the term "approached" when mentioned in police terms they seem to refer to any kind of contact from talking to full physical contact. It seems to me 'approached' is a generic term used when they are still working out what on Earth happened between the two parties.

actually sorry - just read the report again - it was a 13yr old girl (so he obviously wasn't trying to abduct her on her way to school as there's only a junior school and infant school up there)

what it says is

"The man approached the girl, as a result of which she became frightened and ran away."

and actually just looking at the road it occurred on it was no-where near any schools

YABU. The school have to be cautious and do their utmost to keep all the kids safe.

YABU unless you know exactly what was said to the kids. Chances are they reminded the kids to be careful because there's been an arrest in connection with an incident and the school have probably been put on alert by the police. this has most likely been translated by half-listening and exagerating kids to the message you received

So you think it's ok that a group of 8/9yr olds now think there are people going round town trying to abduct children on their way to school?

I've nothing against reminding them to be sensible etc, but the message that has been portrayed seems to be highly inaccurate, and this was the FIRST thing they said to me when I opened the door to them!

Yes, I do think it's OK.

Yes but you have no idea what the teachers said to them. Chances are they were imminently sensible but this sensible message mixed with what some kids had heard from their parents or saw the FB updates,who then told other kids who themselves then told more kids on the playground has ended up with a completely different and embellished version of what the teachers actually said.
Until you know what message the school is putting out you can't criticise them.

Emmmmmmmmma (sorry lost count of the m's) they're not teenagers, they go to a junior school, the incident didn't happen at school run time, and it didn't happen near a school. Yet that was the idea that these boys had got from their teacher.

I suppose it could have been from their parents, but neither of the parents are on FB (yet) so they won't have seen the misinformed ones on Friday/.

As others have said, there's every chance that what the school said and what the children interpreted that as meaning are not the same thing. The school may have said something perfectly sensible about the recent possible incident being a timely reminder to be aware of "stranger danger". The children then translate that (together with the rumours they will have spread themselves, and the scared comments from some parents) into "someone trying to abduct children". I don't think you should assume the school are scaremongering unless you know exactly what was said, rather than what was heard.

IABU then

I'll fuck off now

Our school seems very keen on teaching about stranger danger. It seems very exciting for the children.

DS now likes playing it as a game. I have to be the stranger and ask if he wants to see my new car (he feeds me the lines btw) and he has to WALK AWAY.

But then I think kids have always been a bit like this, getting over excited and dramatic over what sounds essentially like a non event. The good thing is that they don't really know the horror of what they are talking about.

What is this stuff doing on Facebook? A healthy number of people refuse to have anything to do with FB and certainly, the best way to spread alarm and hysteria about abduction is to put out messages which will be received third hand.

Isn't this like when there was mad hysteria on FB about some children being abducted recently? IN northampton or something.

YANBU from what you have said IMO. I would double check what the school told them though, sounds a bit