Scared Safe

I watched The Lovely Bones last night on HBO and found it hard to get the movie out of my mind. I wonder why bad things happen to some people and not others. For instance, I grew up in Jersey City in the 70s and didn't leave until 1990. My parents let me out in the morning and I was typically out on the streets all day until it was time for lunch or dinner. Nothing ever happened. No one ever tried to abduct me. And this goes for everyone else I knew and went to school with at that time. This was the city, not the suburbs. Nowadays, all I hear about is abductions or attempted abductions or missing children or molested children found dead. I can't understand why some children are chosen and some are not. Why didn't anything ever happen to me? I'm thankful it didn't, but why didn't it. Timing? Street smarts? Neighborhood? I'm not sure. This movie scared me since I have a 12 year old niece and 2 little boys of my own. I don't think they have the wits about them that I did growing up in the city. I wasn't afraid or intimidated by anyone or anything. I want to raise my family the same way. Perhaps that makes a difference. It sickens me to think that acquaintances or neighbors can be responsible for these vile crimes against children. I'm not sure how to approach instructing my children to act around others. I don't want to raise scared children and I don't want to raise rude children. I want to have safe children.