When is a Stranger a Stranger?

As so many of us parents work to make sure that our children have stranger awareness, and with all the attention paid to stranger safety in schools and other programs—you would think we would be sending a very clear message to our children about strangers. But, are we? How often have you taken your child to sit on “Santa’s” lap or encouraged them to hug a mascot at a football game or parade? Do we forbid our children to talk to people while standing on line at the library, or do we encourage them to make these random social connections. … Continue reading

The Kindness of Strangers

When I was growing up in Hawaii there was a man who used to walk along the main highway pushing a shopping cart. Everyone in town recognized him because at one time or another they had all driven by him… and his shopping cart. No one seemed to know the man’s real name; rather we just called him “Cart Man.” I thought about him the other day when I read about a similar man, who lives in a suburb not to far from where I currently reside in Wisconsin. Benjamin Steinbach is an 85-year-old man who used his riding lawn … Continue reading