Well...I don't know whether to be proud of my daughter or mad at her

[Horse with no Name]

One of her friends was sharing that he ran out of gas, didn't have any money and nobody would stop to help him. He ended up having to walk a ways before he got some help and man is it hot here!

This upset her--she knows the economy sucks, and since we live in a poor area anyway, she sees first hand how it harms everyone--and how hard everyone struggles.

So....what does she do? She picked up a guy that she didn't know walking down the road and took him to his destination. :scared:

She said she could tell by looking at him that he wasn't a serial killer.

I know how she feels, it is tough to see folks struggle, but to be honest, this kind of scared me a little.

[LiberalLoner]

1. Yikes. I can understand why that scares you. Even though her heart is

in the right place (bless her heart) it is just too risky for a woman to pick up a stranger like that. Shoot, maybe it's even too risky for a man to pick up a stranger.

But bless your daughter for being such a kind-hearted, caring soul. You raised her right! Good job. :)

[secondwind]

4. I agree. Be proud of your daughter, but she needs to not do this, unfortunately that is how life

is today. You raised a woman with a good heart, and sensitive to the pain of others. Be proud!

[TheWraith]

26. Today?

Contrary to common perception, violent crime is lower than it's been since the 1960s.

That said, there are always dangers for a young woman alone, and it would be a good idea to either not pickup strangers, or to carry protection. A Walther PPK is good insurance that a young lady is able to continue living without fear.

[tblue37]

29. When I see someone in need, I find it hard not to stop and help.

If it looks like s situation in which I might be endangered, I will sometimes go and get other help and then return. But if it is pretty obviously safe (like when I see, as I often do, someone--especially an older woman--walking with a heavy bag of groceries), I will always stop.

Once in a sudden torrential downpour I stopped to offer a ride to a young couple who were on foot.

Though I am 60 years old (61 in August!), and was divorced in 1983, I have had a car for just 5 years. (When I was married, "we" had a car, but I almost never drove it.) Until I had to start using a cane 5 years ago, I walked everywhere because I hate cars, hate driving, and love walking. But sometimes I would be carrying a heavy load, or else the weather was really bad, and when that was the case, I was always happy when some kind soul stopped and gave me a ride. I vowed to always pay it forward if I ever got a car.

When I drive up our very, very steep hill to campus to teach each morning, I always look for someone who might like a ride, and I am always disappointed when I don't find anyone to offer that ride to, espcially when the weather is nasty.

[lunatica]

2. Tell her you're proud of her and she better not ever pick up a stranger again

then tell her why. Show her pictures of Ted Bundy and Dahmer and she'll understand that there's no 'look' of a serial killer and that's why so many can commit their crimes.

[REP]

3. Angry

Ted Bundy and the guy who kidnaped and tried to rape me looked like nice guys, too.

[EFerrari]

5. Have to get across to her that serial killers usully look like fine

because they have no conscience so their guilt doesn't trouble them.

[spanone]

6. sounds like something my daughter would do..out of kindness..i would discourage it....

[HipChick]

7. I ran out of gas once....a guy claiming to be a an off-duty cop stopped..

I made him show me his badge, police equipment and call a marked car before I got in..

Sorry can't be too careful..too many nuts out there..

[pnwmom]

8. Ted Bundy didn't look like a serial killer, and he got lots of girls to help him

before he killed them.


Please tell her never to do that again!

[monmouth]

12. Was just going to post that...Generous thought, bad to carry through...n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

9. My don't know whether to be proud or mad moment

with my older daughter came, when at age 16, she greeted me after work with, "Mom, you're going to be so proud of me. I went down to public health and got birth control pills all by myself."

Yes, proud because she was taking precautions, but not too pleased that she was, quote unquote, sexually active.

[seabeyond]

10. odd ball neighborhood. high income and really low. saw a man tweeking

carrying a whole lot of bags of groceries. i really really wanted to give him a ride. ran to store, saw him, and he was tired. standing there. half hour later i went by again and he didnt make it far at all.

i really wanted to help. and i couldnt. the working of the jaw, the body language. seen enough people messed up. but still.... stays with you.

i understand her need. she made the decision. not good. but i still feel bad i left that man

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. both i suppose but tell her as much you appreciate her kindness

serial kilers dont have a look. some are indeed very handsome.

[Kurovski]

28. +100

Rapists have no look either.

[Wait Wut]

13. I'd be furious.

Yes, it was a wonderfully unselfish act of kindness...that could have turned out to be the worst mistake of her life.

Tell her to call him a cab the next time...from a distance. Plenty of other things for her to do to help those in need without putting herself in danger.

Good luck.

[ChrisBorg]

14. I'm a homicidal maniac- they look just like everyone else

Wednesday Addams

[GKirk]

18. Admitting you have a problem...

...is the first step in recovery. :D

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. Life's too short to be mad.

It sounds like you taught her really great values and you should ask her to in the future at least call you or someone and let them know that you will be picking up a stranger and what her location is and when she will call you back.

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. It can be really short if you don't learn from the mistakes of others. n/t

[Shagbark Hickory]

24. What if the daughter was a taxi driver? With yalls advice, she'd never have any passengers. nt

[ProfessionalLeftist]

17. Ohhhh....that's a tough one. Serial killers are not 'recognizable'

Most of them don't 'look' like serial killers. Your fear is fully understandable. Some mix of horror and love for her compassion is required to get the point across. I don't envy you having to develop that recipe.

[Kceres]

19. Poor planning on the man's part. He should have walked.

If one of my teenage sons picked up a stranger like that we might be looking at suspending driving privileges for a week or so. Just my $02.

[PeaceNikki]

20. meh, I would have, too and hoped like hell someone would help me.

Serial killers/rapists are few and far between so I would take a chance and help someone given the opportunity. At minimum, I would have stopped and offered to call someone for him.

[Raine]

21. She was lucky, this time. Making a habit of that kind of thing

could end up getting her raped or something even worse. :scared:

[Warpy]

22. I routinely pick up hitchhikers on the rez

because the thumb is their basic method of transportation if they're too young to have jobs and afford cars. Yes, it's risky but nothing untoward has happened yet.

[lostnfound]

23. a friend of mine once stopped to help a stranded motorist

And ended up raped by 2 men at knifepoint who also stole a bunch of her private, sentimental belongings.
I would never want my daughter stopping to pick up a man on the road.

I'm glad your daughter is okay and glad that she has compassion but I don't blame you for being concerned.

[Yooperman]

25. Great kid! However, it may be time to watch "Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer"

It was one of the most disturbing movies I have ever watched. Yet.. it does give a person a glimpse into a mind of a serial killer. I had saw the review of the movie by "Siskle and Ebert" ... they said the same thing... not a movie for the squeamish... yet an important one for all to watch.

Peace

YM

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. First of all, you should be so proud that your daughter has such a good heart. Secondly,

although I've helped out strangers that way, in retrospect, it wasn't the brightest thing to do. I also sized up the people and used my judgment, but then Ted Bundy was supposed to be totally presentable and charming.