I didn’t believe my parents and it almost cost me my life.

I'm a 20 year old female and this happened when I was 10. <br><br><br>I grew up in a somewhat rough neighborhood. My parents didn’t believe in sheltering us from the world. They told us to be aware of our surroundings and know that not everyone is your friend. <br><br><br>One day, I was playing in the alley behind our house when a man approached me. He said he had lost his puppy and he needed my help finding it. I told him I couldn't help him because I had to babysit my little brother but he offered to pay me $10 if I helped. $10 is a lot of money when you’re 10. <br><br><br>Against my better judgement, I agreed to help him. We walked down the alley, me leading the way and him following. He asked how much older my brother was and I said he was 2. He then asked me if I got bored or upset staying inside to babysit all day. I said yes. He said he could help me by taking me somewhere I could play without my parents knowing and I could come back before they even knew I was gone. I agreed and he called out for his friend to pull up. A van pulled up and he opened the side door. A woman was sitting in the back of the van. My parents also warned me about stranger danger. <br><br><br>I said “no! I don’t know you!”. He said it was ok because he sent his own niece there yesterday and she said it was a lot of fun. I again declined and started walking away. He offered me $20. Again, that's a lot for a 10 year old. I turned back around and that's when the woman in the back said “sweetie, get in the van! We have other kids your age in there and you can play with us!”. I turned around and ran.<br><br><br>I ran into my backyard and slammed and locked the door. I ran up to the kitchen where my mom was standing and told her what had just happened. When she realized how close I came to being kidnapped she grabbed me and hugged me so tight. <br><br><br>She told me we had to call the police. When she said that, I started crying. I knew I had done something wrong. I felt like I had messed up and these were the consequences. It didn't help my parents spent half my childhood telling me how to stay safe, and the first time someone approached me, I almost got abducted. I felt like such a failure.<br><br><br>After a lengthly conversation with the police and describing what the man and woman looked like, the police told my mom they had reports of missing children in our area matching the description of the people in the van. That was some scary shit to hear.<br><br><br>After that day, I was glad my parents were strict. I realized what could have happened if I wasn't supplied with the knowledge my parents gave me. The guy and lady in the van, Let’s Not Meet.