End of the Innocence

Etan Patz would have been 39 years old if he was still alive.  Just a few years younger than me. 

Growing up in NYC there were real moments that were forever changing.  The Son of Sam, where I used to look behind my shower curtain every time I entered my bathroom, The 1977 Yankees, My favorite team of all time.  John Lennon being shot, my favorite of The Beatles.  Black out happening right in the middle of watching Baretta (i think),  having to walk up and down 23 flights of stairs and the disappearance of Etan Patz.

The flier of this little boy and the photos that were taken of him, looking like a model for a Sears or JC Penny catalogue plastered all around the city and on every newspaper was the end of early innocence and trust in NYC.

I look back and question the parents allowing him to walk to the bus stop by himself, but that neighborhood back then was different.  It was an art community.  No Apple Store, no trendy bars or restaurants.  It was a New York neighborhood.  Does that make it safe?  Well, maybe not, but you didn't think that way in New York until Etan Patz disappeared.

Reading the news of his killer finally being found was a sad moment.  I remember some years ago, they were doing computer renditions of what he would look like now and keeping hopes he was kidnapped and still alive.  We all knew he wasn't, but there was still that glimmer of hope.

The fact that his parents never moved or changed their phone number is a true sign and example of the commitment a parent makes to their child.  As a Father today, the thought of losing my kid in a flash of a moment is terrifying.  The poor Patz family must think about, how it would have been different today if... what if.  Two words that must haunt those poor parents.

I hope that this sad discovery and unexplained reasoning for killing a young innocent boy brings some sort of peace to Mr and Mrs Patz.  My heart breaks for Etan and what that poor little boy felt that horrible morning.


Time to hug my kids and really consider investing in that pocketfinder.