How Can We Protect our kids?

It seems that anymore we can not get through a week without another innocent child going missing, or worse yet having the body of one found. As a parent I lie awake many a night trying not to think about all the "what ifs" there are in this world.

I want so much for my kids to be strong, independent individuals. How do I mesh this with the ever growing desire to encase them in a bubble or their very own bio dome? My daughter was recently invited to her first birthday party/ sleepover the other day. I had to decline the sleep over party of the invitation, and I stayed to help out with the party. I was just not comfortable leaving my child at someones house whom I had never met...would you have? I definitely could not leave them over night.

Like I said I do not want to make them fearful of the world, but now that they have to be out in it more without my husband or myself, how do I keep them safe? I think there is a healthy amount of fear, like teaching kids that fire is hot, etc but I don't want them to be afraid of EVERYTHING.

Ugh... how does any parent survive parenthood?!