I’ve been saying this for years and now I have a way to scream it. Stop putting bumper stickers on your car! They’re not harmless; they give potential predators gobs of information about your life, your children, your world.
In most cases, someone can discern your financial status and family situation based on your car (how expensive, big, new it is, whether it is a sports car or a van). A complete stranger can deduce if you’re a soccer mom or single-again dad, the approximate ages of your kids by the car seats (and how many), what school they attend (and sometimes gender) because of school clings, team sports or activities, the playground/studio/gym they go to, where you work (parking passes, hang tags) and even what neighborhood you live in if you use a special pass or box on your car. Scared? Yeah. It’s too much sharing.
We love sharing info these days- on social media, on our cars, on our phones, and we’re trusting strangers not to act on this information. Most won’t, but people are not all good. Do you really want strangers to have such intimate knowledge? What purpose does it serve to announce this on your car? Don’t give anyone more information than they are entitled to. People outside of your circle don’t need to know this; most really don’t care if your child was an honor student at ABC Primary- unless they really do care and those are the people you don’t want to care.
Treat your family and their identities as you would your debit card: Don’t flash it around. Kids will trust people who know their names or the school they attend, they’ll immediately connect to someone who talks about a sport they play (a shared interest). Personally, even as an adult, I bond with anyone who starts talking about bunnies or having a pet rabbit (I lost mine not too long ago after 8 years but I still love talking buns with anyone who has one).
My purpose isn’t to ignite a paranoia but to instill awareness and caution. The world isn’t happy unicorns and mermaids. We’ve become so lax in our sharing and the information we put out there, we forget the dangers. When we were little, our parents showed people our photos in their wallets, but they took those pictures with them. They sent emails or notes updating our friends about our lives (again, very controlled), and we never had to worry that these bits of information or personal pictures wound up in the wrong hands. Today is very different and we share so much more. Be smart, be safe, and protect what is most precious to you because they’re counting on you.
Look at how much info is given if all of these are on the same car (or any of these).
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“This car protected by Smith & Wesson 3 nights a week.
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Really good post: relevant and well-written. I loved your statement about bunnies. We have one – our fourth in 20 years – and he’s basically our child. Also, what your said about being able to stop and talk to anyone about rabbits – that’s how I feel about travel! I’m sure you have good reasons for not adopting another bun, but I know there are buns out there would would love to have you as their mom!
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