Thank you to everyone who contributed to yesterday's Read and Discuss. Many of you voiced the same concerns I had with the situation.
The key word in my story (for me) was "suddenly". The boy has lived here for 18 months, and while he has always been very nice to the kids, he always had his own thing going. He was always at school, at work, or with his friends. Two weeks ago, that all changed (tattoo, earring, kids - in that order).
The sudden interest in the kids and the purchasing of toys to engage the kids were warning flags for me. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, true, but it is my responsibility to keep on top of what is happening with my kids.
So, I did my research, spoke to my kids in general terms, I'm keeping an eye out, and remaining present while they play. I said in a good natured way to his mother "What's up, is your son grounded for getting that tattoo or something? He's been around so much with the kids this week!" (her response was "huh?")
So far, my husband and I and one other father are the only ones concerned. The general feeling around here is "Whoo, hooo! Free babysitting!" but I'm not so sure.
Do you know how to identify the sexual predators in your area? Megan's Law gives you the right to find that information. Click the link and enter your zip code, you might be surprised.
Thanks for your comments! I knew I was right to come to you about this :)
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Jennifer, in the state of Ohio, sex offenders are not automatically placed on a registry list when they are convicted. It is up to the individual judge handling the case to make that decision. It happened in our own community- a coach's son was convicted of a sexual imposition charge but because there were numerous letters written to the court to extol the virtues of this young man, the judge decided that he did not have to register. Laws vary from state to state, but clearly this young man, who assaulted a young girl in a nearby college campus, got off way too easy. Newspaper and tv coverage was stifled by the family, as well, so the general public is unaware of this boy's crime. My advice to you is to be very concerned and to limit any or all contact of your children with this neighborhood boy. Good luck. Sue
ReplyDeleteOn a less serious note, thanks for stopping by my blog - loved your comment! hee hee
ReplyDeletecarma :-)
I read the story...and then read this. I wish all parents were as aware of what was going on in their neighborhood as you are. We had an incident in our neighborhood where three of the little girls were molested. It was so very sad how long it went on until somebody finally recognized the warning signs...the molester only lived 3 houses away from us! It was the scariest thing ever to know your children were at such high risk. Keep up the great work..and keep being suspicious...it just seems so very odd...and obviously his own parents aren't paying any attention!
ReplyDeleteI say trust your instincts...nothing matters more than your little ones...
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