Who Might Imagine?

Who might imagine what could happen to a vulnerable young child left to its own devices? Alert parents, that's who. When children are young they should not be left to make choices that can prove to be of harm to their safety, their very survival.

It's why parental oversight is so critical to the safety of children. Children are curious little creatures who don't recognize safety boundaries, whose personal enterprise at entering the world around them makes them susceptible to dangers they cannot foresee.

This is one of the critical functions of parenthood: to evaluate conditions for their children, while stimulating their sense of curiosity and creativity and adventure. Children are not to be left to their own devices for the unexpected can and will occur.

Children are defenceless against adversity they can neither initially recognize nor defend themselves against. They haven't the experience, they haven't the decision-making maturity.

One tragedy befalling children after another. Of unwary parents, willing to take the risk for a moment's attention placed elsewhere than on the safety and security of their children. For a moment is all it takes. And then regret is forever.

The latest, a seven-year-old boy who is said to have loved the water. On vacation with his parents and a younger sibling, in Tofino, from their home in Birmingham, Washington. The little boy was with his father on the beach adjacent the bed-and-breakfast they were staying at.

But this is a wild and untamed area, with exposure to the ocean and nearby jangled bush.

William Pilkenton was in the care of his father David, both walking along the rocky beach. William's father made the decision to leave his son for a short period of time. A reckless decision.

Did the father caution the child to stay where he was, not venture out into the water, nor into the nearby bush? Did he impress on the child the potential dangers? Fruitless manoeuvres in any event, guaranteed to excite a child's curiosity even more.

When the father returned to the beach his son was nowhere to be seen. And has not been seen since. A massive search was launched shortly afterward.

The RCMP noted that the pebbly beach was wet and slippery as a result of recent rains. It couldn't be known whether the child tripped and slid into the water and was carried away, but intensive searches were undertaken in the water.

The owner of the Water's Edge Inn, close to the area where the child disappeared, tried to help search. "I just started looking around my place first. It's pretty dense rain forest and I personally fell in a big hole up to my waist" he said. "It's thick and dense and gnarly and horribly wet."

Another resident of the area, owner of the Cable Cove Inn, and his family were out helping with the search, as were countless members of nearby B.C. Indian bands. "I don't think anyone was working today, everyone was out looking for this kid", said Ram Tumuluri.

Everyone is out, looking for a lost child. It's been several days. Night-time temperatures drop pretty low. It's a large, frighteningly hostile environment for a small child.