When I read about a 3-year-old little girl in Houston who was knocked down and mugged -- by an adult, mind you -- I thought, How low can a human being go? To mug a child? That's on par with mugging an elderly woman or a blind person. And to knock the child down? Really? You couldn't have just taken the iPad out of her hands? Wait a second -- screech and spittake -- the iPad?! Yes, a 3-year-old girl was mugged of her iPad. Because, you know, she had one!

The thief, an adult woman, had been walking with a man around the parking lot where the mother and daughter were, and the toddler's mother thinks that they may have been "targeting" her daughter. Says the mom:

They were waiting for us ... so they could, I guess, take the iPad.

Um, yes. THE IPAD. Not the doll. Not the coloring book. Not the Dora squeaky toy. The iPad.

Don't get me wrong, no one has the right to steal anything. And certainly no one has the right to steal anything from a child. But if you're walking down the street with a bag of cash in your hand or wearing a diamond necklace, you're taking a bigger risk than if you're walking down the street with a coffee cup and a string bracelet.

Thieves go for electronics. The only person I know who has been mugged was mugged for her iPod. Did she have the right to wear an iPod and not worry about being mugged? Of course. But this is the world we live in, folks. Three-year-olds with iPads are targets.

If you simply must buy your child an iPad -- or an iPod, an iPhone, or anything else preceded by an "i" -- set rules in place that the kid can only use the device at home. Or, at the very least, if you're in a public place and somewhat distracted, put it in your bag until you get in the car.

Frankly, I can't imagine buying a toddler a $500 "toy," but that's a parent's prerogative. However, an expensive toy makes a kid a thief magnet, so take some precautions.

Does your child have an expensive gadget?


Image via JuhanSonin/Flickr