My hubby and I have just watched a documentary on the man who killed Emily Longley. She was 17 and she lost her life because she was with a very bad person, masquerading as a jealous boyfriend. Her parents grief is unimaginable and to see the pictures of her as a baby and toddler and hear her mother describe the day she was born is utterly heart-breaking.
The news that 14 year old Alice Gross has been murdered re-enforces the vulnerability of girls and young women and how parents are powerless when the worst happens.
My husband is already looking up self-defence classes for our daughter, while I think back to my teens and some of the potentially dodgy situations I put myself in. How do you protect a teenager who wants to be free, explore the world and have fun?
The thought of the anxiety to come almost makes me wish I hadnt become a parent in the first place..
This blog is for Unicef.
Thanks for reading.
tommarter 