Wrap 'em in Bubblewrap and Lock the Doors

As a rule, I am not an overly protective mother. Honestly, I'm not. Even when the kids were mere babes I didn't feel the need to shelter them from every little thing. Hey, if you put a fork in the electrical socket, you'll learn not to do that again. Eat yellow snow and get a belly ache? Bet you'll avoid colored snow in the future. Run with scissors and stab yourself in the leg? You'll think twice about running...or using scissors.

Lately, however, there's a small, almost maternal part of me that wonders if I could get away with locking both my children in their rooms until they turn 25. Not because they've misbehaved (in the last 15 minutes), but because I could protect them that way.

Yesterday my friend Emily told me of a recent tragedy in a nearby community in which a 14-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old sister with a loaded gun. Emily and her husband sat their two boys down to have a conversation about guns and what to do if a friend decides to show you one when you're visiting their house. Having grown up with a gun-owning father, I definitely believe "guns don't kill people; people kill people," but that doesn't provide the slightest reassurance when you're counting on the "good" judgment of many 12 and 13-year-old boys.

Guns aren't the only thing I think about when I'm dropping Ian off at a new friend's house these days. I also find myself wondering whether:

• Illegal or prescription drugs, alcohol, or pornography are easily accessible 
• The kids play super-violent or sexual video games
• Older siblings in the house have a criminal record
• Anyone here plays the choking game
• Someone has a video camera with which they can record inappropriate behavior and post it on Facebook and MySpace
• Girls might be there

It was so much easier when my biggest fear was that kids might eat too much junk food during a play date. Heck, even the possibility of them falling off a trampoline pales in comparison to the dangers that face our children during these tween and teen years. And I'm well aware that the scary stuff will become even scarier as they get older and acquire driver's licenses and girlfriends.

No, I can't lock my kids in their rooms till they're 25. I can't even surround them in protective bubble wrap. All I can do is trust that I've raised them right, that they'll make good decisions, and that they will continue to look to mom and dad for guidance.

Having read this post, Ian assures me I have nothing to worry about with him. And for now, that, and a good deal of prayer, may have to be enough.