My boys have to wear helmets and knee pads even if they are just riding their scooters up the sidewalk in front of the house. I don’t let me kids run up the street without walking them to the corner and eyeballing their progress to make sure they get to their destination. If they are going to a friend’s to play, I make sure there is a responsible adult at home to supervise, and I don’t let kids come over to play with my kids if only Drama Teen is home. Yes, I will stand tall and stand proud and tell you I am an overprotective mom. A myriad of reasons have shaped the way I am and how much freedom (or lack of it) I give my kids.

I may joke about being happier when my kids aren’t home (or are sleeping), but I don’t know what I would do without them… simply because once upon a time, I was a mom with no child. The ache and hurt of loss is something I have never forgotten and never want to experience again. Although Tiffany, my first baby, was lost to SIDS, my heart goes out to parents of missing children. To not know the fate of your child is heart-rending.

The statistics regarding missing children are staggering (source):

* 800,000 children younger than 18 are missing each year, or an average of 2,000 children reported missing each day.
* 200,000 children were were abducted by family members.
* 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members, and
* 115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. These crimes involve someone the child does not know, or knows only slightly, who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.

Right now, I’ve been following the case of little Kyron Horman. His disappearance strikes a big chord with me. He’s the same age as one of my boys, and his parents are living a nightmare no parent wants to experience.

Here’s a recap of his case.

Ten days ago Kyron Horman did not come home from school. He was last seen by his stepmother after a science fair (held at the school) and approximately 150 feet from his classroom. Since then nobody has seen the boy. The Sheriff of Multnomah County now declared that the search has been classified as “a criminal investigation”.

I pray daily for him and his family and ask you to do the same.