Second only to Independence Day, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. And as an American holiday, it is rooted deeply — like our nation — in faith in God.

The earliest Thanksgivings were celebrated by Americans who were keenly aware that their blessings — like their rights — came from God. In times of hardship unimaginable to us today, they took time to give thanks to their Creator.

After all the years of being taught “Stranger Danger,” it may come as a surprise to know that the opposite comes more recommended. In child abduction cases, most perpetrators are known to the victim. Therefore, it is important to know who your child is with, to be aware of who may have access to your child, to understand that a child’s definition of “stranger” may be different than yours, and so on. For example: Would your child know that accepting a ride from an acquaintance, perhaps someone you regularly chat with when you see them at the store, is unsafe?

48 hours is too long a time to wait before responding to someone. Don’t let emails sit in your inbox for weeks on end. Send a reply and be done with the thing.

“duh . . .”, a 16 year-old girl who has just met the boy of her dreams on Facebook often does not think of the potential consequences of meeting strangers. Not every other user on Facebook is a convicted sex offender, but neither is everybody online a member of the National Honor Society.

Decades ago, our parents and grandparents warned us about strangers, and to not take candy from strangers, yet today, the candy is different. We leave our children to play online in a world much more dangerous than the real life world we grew up in. There are so many ways that children stumble into online dark alleys, and places that are seemingly harmless until someone is adversely affected.