In two weeks my vacation begins. Kids go back to school on Sept 7th. Hopefully I will then slowly recuperate from this idiocy disease which has stolen my mind and ability to function (of course I’m gonna blame the kids otherwise I’d have to actually admit that it was me and isn’t that the whole [...]
I have always been a worrier when it comes to my kids. I just started letting my two boys 12 and 10 walk up to the park by themselves this summer. Before then, I never even let them go outside by themselves – well, I didn’t really tell them they couldn’t they just never really wanted to after a couple of encounters with some of our local homeless guys drinking beer in back of our house.
We live in a really strange neighborhood. It’s called Ghent, in Norfolk, VA and it’s filled with some of the oldest most expensive houses in the area. We have lots of churches and temples and a strip with ecclectic shops and restaurants. It is also filled with lots of apartment buildings, so you get a very wide variety of people in a very small area. We have lots of churches and temples and a strip with ecclectic shops and restaurants – there are always people out everywhere, it’s a pretty great place to live.
The reason I have been nervous about letting my kids out is mainly because of all the homeless people that hang out at the church down the street. They get kicked out of the mission before the sun comes up and have to find somewhere to go. They hang out at the parks we have all over our neighborhood – you just can’t walk very far without running into a few. Now I know the majority of homeless people would never lay a hand on my kids, but I’m not going to take any chances. I don’t know what the solution for the homeless problem is.
Another reason I don’t like letting my kids out by themselves is because I visit the National Sex Offender Registry on a regular basis and it terrifies me when I see the number of sex offenders in this city. There are 9 registered sex offenders within a mile of the kids school. Needless to say I drive them to school everyday. This year my oldest is going into middle school and it is 2 blocks away – should I be afraid to let him walk there alone? I am. This brings up another issue. I just found out that kids are not allowed to carry a cellphone with them, not even if it is off and in their backback. That is so stupid. But that is a whole other post.
I don’t think that I am over protective at all. It terrifies me to think of my kids in the hand of a sex offender. I tell them they don’t have to be scared if they know what to do – be knowledgeable, find out how these people get to kids and then find out what you can do to prevent it from happening to you. I can just imagine, if there are 9 registered sex offenders within a mile of the school, how many are out there who have never been caught? Have you checked the National Sex Offender registry lately?
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Aug 27, 2009 | Reply
You are over-reacting I think. Unless there is a big problem in your area you could be making your kids worse. The sex offender register isn’t all people who ‘like’ kids. There are people on there that were caught peeing in a shop front. It’s seriously overhyped.
I’m fine with my kids. They’ve been told what to do and look out for, and they walk to school themselves.
Most abuse is actually from within the family. (Not that I’m saying you would do anything!)
There’s likely no difference in numbers of child abuse now than when you grew up, it’s just overhyped, if that can be said of the subject these days.
Relax a bit, take sensible precautions but don’t get paranoid!
Aug 27, 2009 | Reply
I also live in a very nice neighborhood. Homes are not cheap here. When I checked the national sex registry for my area I about had a stroke when I seen that there were 105 sex preditors living within a 5 mile radius of my home. 5 of them being actual child preditors.
My children will never be out of my site. We have home our home secured so nobody gets in or out without us knowing about it.
Something needs to be done, laws changed drastically about these people I am in strong favor of the one strike your out approach. Hurt, molest, kill a child. either the death penalty or put in jail for life.
Aug 27, 2009 | Reply
AMEN!! Spicybugz.
Aug 28, 2009 | Reply
I agree with you. It’s a frightening world even without kids. Put kids in the mix and it’s hard to deal sometimes.
The Sex Offender Registry has helped people at least find out who’s living in their neighborhood, but like you said it doesn’t account for the people who should be on the list but aren’t. Scary!
(There are also a small percentage of people on the list that aren’t a threat. People that did stupid stuff as 18 year olds that are forever blacklisted. …Which is scary in itself, especially if you have boys)
But it’s ALWAYS BETTER to be Safe than Sorry!
Thank you for your thoughts. This world is nuts sometimes!!
Bring Back Pluto
“ONE of THE GUYS”
Hope you visit.
Aug 28, 2009 | Reply
I live in FL, yeah, I would say there is a HUGE problem down here. In fact all over the United States. I don’t feel any parent is over reacting one bit. Check out the Megans Law site for where YOU live, and see how many child molesters and preditors live in your very own area.