My dad recently sent me an email, urging me to check out this website:  www.familywatchdog.us.

Enter your zip code to find out if any registered sex offenders live near you.

We discovered that a sex offender has moved into the house across the street and two doors down.  Unfortunately, the registry is incomplete, so there is no picture, no information regarding his risk level, and no indication of his crime. 

We are now aware of a known danger.  However, most child molesters abuse multiple victims (I've even heard 50 vicitms) before they are reported.  Some have hundreds of victims before they are ever convicted.  Please don't feel too safe just because there are no known offenders in your neighborhood.  A nice old man was recently arrested in Austin, TX.  The "candy man" had been selling snacks to the neighborhood children for years, and inviting them into his house and molesting them. 

I believe the best protection for children is not necessarily to teach them about stranger danger.  We've all seen the Oprah-like shows where an ex-cop tries successfully to lure children away from the playground with tales of a lost puppy.  Yes, there are dangerous strangers out there.  But children do not understand what a stranger is.  I still remember walking through the mall with my then 3 year old son who was pointing at people and asking, "Is that a stranger?  Is that a stranger?" 

We are our children's best protection.  We must be discerning, vigilant, and wise.

I covet your prayers for our safety, but also for the safety of all the children in our neighborhood.  (I count 11 under the age of 10 in a half block area PLUS a daycare licensed for up to 70 children.)

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Posted by CreativeLearning