Don't believe that parents ever considered kids to be "more replaceable".

The media aspect is more convincing. Spend too much time watch Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and CSI: Wherever and you'd be convinced that a serial killer was hiding behind every streetlight and lamp post.

Facts are that your kid has better odds of being struct by lightning than abducted by a total stranger... but we don't send 'em out with lightning rods, do we?