From the minute I saw the news report, I couldn't shake the story of Leiby Kletzky. There was something about his face, his walk, that emanated innocence. As details emerged and we learned he was walking to meet his mother, that he had begged for the chance to test his independence, my heart broke more. His parents had even walked the seven block route he was to take that day the Friday before, to ensure he was familiar with his surroundings.
As video emerged of Leiby talking to a man, we anxiously awaited news of the boy's whereabouts. A local news station interviewed a mother from his neighborhood and she made a comment that has haunted me. As she glanced down at her own young children, she said "Our kids don't watch TV, they are sheltered in our community. They don't know they should be afraid."
No one knows for sure what Levi Aron said to Leiby or why Leiby got in his car, but the thought that Leiby felt safe in his community, which is traditionally void of crime, but wasn't makes me both incredibly angry and desperately sad. I can't wrap my head around the fact that we live in a world where a nine-year-old boy can't stop and ask for directions.
Now all the "experts" are weighing in on how old a child should be before setting out in the neighborhood by himself. The truth is these parents did everything right. They waited until they thought he was old enough. They chose a short walk for his first trip alone and planned a route, which they practiced together, for him to take. They live in a community they trusted and in which they were active members. People knew this boy but sadly, there wasn't a familiar face he could ask for help. Leiby went with the stranger who would ultimately bring his short-lived freedom to an end.
Tutor's Tip: Pray for the Kletzky family and all the families of young children who don't make it home each day.
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