grounding.....

ok, so my youngest is grounded for the weekend.......for violating the rules....for the umpteenth time........she was supposed to be at my mom's house across the street....and when my mom called to talk to her it became clear that 1)she was not at my mom's 2)neither of us knew where she was......in more innocent times this wouldn't be such a concern.......but we live in an age of amber alerts.....and hunts for remains and knowing where are children are at all times is essential.....the child who was found dead in iowa......her family thought she was next door, when she had actually gotten into the car of a family friend/known sex offender......not that my family has any known sex offenders as friends....but one never knows.....and my child would probably get into the car with freddie in the mask if he offered her candy.......or asked if she would help him find his lost puppy.......these issues are discussed with her on a regular basis.....but i remain fearful for her survival given her forgetfulness of such basics as i forgot that i have to let you know where i am now, not where i started out to go.......and so, she is grounded for the weekend.......no bike riding, no tv, no computer games.........no friends over.......and i am sorry for this....what will it take to get the notion through her head that free-roaming my be fun but it could become deadly........