How do you keep your children safe?

I do everything I can to keep my son safe. He's 5 and still in a carseat with a 5 point harness. I don't put his coat on in the car, at least not under his harness. I taught him to look both ways before he crosses the street. He knows his address and phone number and how to call 911. He even knows how to use a fire extinguisher. (Although that's more his obsession with fire fighters than safety) We have a fire escape plan. He wears a helmet when he rides his bike. I like to think that we are pretty safe.

So what do I do next? Am I supposed to keep him away from all the government institutions? It's not only the fear of him being hurt, but seeing something no child should ever have to see. I know that when we chose to move here, part of it was a safety and security issue. But no place is safe or completely crime free. How do you let your child be a child and have fun and learn things and have new experiences? I want to keep him in bubblewrap and a blind fold and never take him out of the house. That's not a childhood. I can't shelter him too much, I want him to have a love for learning that only comes from getting off your hiney and getting out of the house. I want him to experience history in a way that can only be done by visiting monuments and historical sites. But what do you do when you fear that those very sites are potential targets? Where is the balance? How do I keep him safe without making him more afraid?

A very beautiful young lady lost her life at 9 years old. She wanted to know more about the legislative process, and she was murdered. It almost makes it more tragic because of her birthday. 9-11-01

I know the only thing we can do is live life. We use caution, but we still live. Because to hide in our homes and live in fear means the bad guys win. And as Wyatt will say, "We gotta get those bad guys, Mom!"