What is the world coming to?

I dont live in a bad neighborhood, i'd call it middle class. We live in a townhome, and the older kids play in front of the homes and all of us parents keep an eye out. My soon to be nine year old rides his bike right in front of our home, and is only allowed to go from one end of the sidewalk to the other, no further...

Anyways, on Mothers Day Owen was riding his bike with 5 of of our neighbor kids and a group of much older kids rode up, grabbed my sons bike and took off. My son and his friends ran after them, but stopped at the end of the sidewalk, as the rules of all us mommies state. (Thank God, because there was about 12 of these kids, ranging from 12-16, they could have hurt those boys no doubt!) Anyways, he ran back to get me, but by the time I processed what happend, grabbed my keys and got out of the parking lot, none of the kids knew which way they turned off. As I was on the phone with the police I cruised the neighborhood, but they were long gone. Im sure they ducked through an alley or a friends house.

Of course the police came out and took a report, but I had to explain to my son that his bike more than likely wont be recovered, and that next time he shouldnt follow a group like that because there are worse dangers than a stolen bike.

I keep beating myself up. I had just checked on him, but didnt see the group of boys at all. Am I a horrible parent for letting my little boy play out front and not sitting there the whole time? I keep running things through my mind and blaming myself.

Sorry for venting

this happened to my 10 year old last summer. It was his brand new bike that he wanted for his birthday. I had to scrape up money to get him another one.

In the mean time, lots of worls and threats from us and nice neighbors, made the original bike show up in our front yard one day, stripped of everything but there.

we got the basics for it, and he now has 2 bikes, AND we live somewhere else. But my son was soooooooooooo heartbroken. he didn't understand. it's sad but the hard reality these days.

It sucks! Sorry to hear of it.

sorry your son had his bike stolen... and pls dont take offence to what im going to say.... you need to watch your kids all the time when they are outside... alot worse could have happen then a stolen bike... i also live in a middle class neighborhood and about 2 weeks ago a 17 year old BOY was abducted at gun point and molested...

That sucks. I guess the day we can live with our kids outside w/o supervision are over. 

ITs so sad that we cant let our kids play in front of our own windows. We live in a pretty small town, and you just get comfortable and figure they are safe if they are in plain view. Guess not :(

Gosh NO you're not a bad Mother. It wasn't anything you could have prevented. Being outside might have deterred it, but if those kids really wanted to do something bad like that they would anyway, at another time .. Please don't beat yourself up any longer.