holding handsI don't know what I would do if I saw someone trying to abduct my child. I hope I never have to find out, but I certainly hope it would be something along the lines of what South Carolina dad Roger Lee Whitlock did.

There he was at the library with his son Lee Lee, his fiance, and her father. While the father filled out job applications online, Roger took Lee Lee outside to have a little snack. The boy was on the other side of a pillar from him, but not more than a foot away, he told The Independent Mail. It's a good thing he was that close, because what happened next is every parent's nightmare.

He told the paper:

I heard a voice say to Lee Lee: "Hey, do you want to go home with me?" But I didn’t think anything about it at first, because he’s so cute and people say that to him when they are teasing him. But then, I saw a man reach out and grab Lee Lee’s arm.

That's where I would hope I wouldn't be too stunned to move, or standing there in disbelief that this could really be happening. Whitlock certainly didn't. Instead, he pummeled the guy.

I whirled around and punched the man, and he ran off. I hit him pretty hard and he was oozing blood.

It's too bad he got away, but hopefully the beating will teach him a thing or two and police will track him down. It's so terrifying to me that people like are out there, and it makes me hyper alert in public when I know things like this can happen in a swift second, even when you're right there. I don't want to be paranoid, and I know these creeps are few and far between, but they ARE out there. Knowing that makes me want to hold their hands as much as they'll let me ... and perhaps brush up on some boxing moves too.

Do you feel like you need to hold on to your children when you're in public?

 

Image via Tim Parkinson/Flickr