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I generally don't worry about child predators lurking in every corner. However, I do have to say they are more likely to be in places like a park. My husband coached soccer, and the soccer league warned coaches to beware of adult men, who do not appear to have children with them and are hanging around the parks.
It turns out that the local police had been doing sweeps looking for sexual offenders at parks where kids were playing sports. The soccer league was shocked that over and over again the police were finding multiple sexual offenders hanging out at these parks, watching the kids. Sexual offenders often "groom" kids, and I guess they were looking for kids who they may be able to befriend. It was kind of creepy information to hear at a coach training meeting.
I also encountered this issue when I was on a park planning committee. City officials actually often place bathrooms far away from playground equipment because of this issue. It was openly discussed at the meeting how they don't want to give sexual predators an easy place to lure children into where they could be molested. It would be more noticeable if a strange man, for example, was walking with a child across a field to get to a bathroom.
Overall, I generally watch the sex offenders list in my area, and it is unbelievable how many people are on that list. I try to keep track of where they live, where they work and what they look like. I was really creeped out when once I emailed one of them before I knew he was on the list for sexually abusing a child. After being released from prison he had started his own business. I emailed him about buying something. Luckily I never went through with the sale because I would have brought my kids along if I had done that!
Thanks for posting this. There's nothing wrong with being vigilant, kudos to you.
I don't want to beat the proverbial dead horse, but predators are not any more likely to be at a park than they are at your school, or as they are to be a teacher or soccer coach or Uncle Joe. Especially if they plan parks to make sure this is the case. There's a playground we take our 5 year old to that has a sign saying adults not accompanying a child may be asked to leave. These precautions make parks more safe, not less, obviously.
Of course there is some danger. Life is full of them. But we overestimate the danger of strangers in parks to the point where we (generic we) worry about that and not about our immediate environment.
One out of 3 girls are molested, one out of 6 boys. That stuff is not being done by park predators for the most part. Most kids that are hurt by adults are hurt in domestic violence or custody situations, or by being groomed by a trusted adult familiar to the parents, or are taken advantage of by other children. They will groom kids who they think are neglected or easy targets in some way. The predators in that scenario have much more control over the child and are far less likely to be caught.
"Are your children safe alone at the park?" No, absolutely not. That's why they get kidnapped, raped and murdered, because their parents or some trusted adult wasn't keeping an eye out on them. Even though the rate of these things have gone down, they still happen and they're going to happen to some child and that child could be yours. It's something that could have been prevented in the first place. Children need to be watched and protected at all times.
Now that I think about it, maybe that's why the rate of child abduction and murdering was higher in the past, because parents let them alone more.
OP here. Just to be clear my child be be at the park with four other kids in the neighborhood. The park is always full of kids and in a safe residential neighborhood. I realize that parks vary greatly but this is a small playground and a field surrounded by homes. Our kids will ride their bikes there and back. If there is an issue we live about a 5-6 minute walk away...and my daughter knows most of the people who live in the homes on the way so she could stop at any of their homes if she needed help.
I think some posters have this vision of my daughter alone in a deserted inner city park and that just isn't the case.
"Are your children safe alone at the park?" No, absolutely not. That's why they get kidnapped, raped and murdered, because their parents or some trusted adult wasn't keeping an eye out on them. Even though the rate of these things have gone down, they still happen and they're going to happen to some child and that child could be yours. It's something that could have been prevented in the first place. Children need to be watched and protected at all times.
Oh goodness. Better not let them ride in a car. Or sleep in a bed...since they're more likely to die falling out of bed. Or getting hit by lightening.
OP here. Just to be clear my child be be at the park with four other kids in the neighborhood. The park is always full of kids and in a safe residential neighborhood. I realize that parks vary greatly but this is a small playground and a field surrounded by homes. Our kids will ride their bikes there and back. If there is an issue we live about a 5-6 minute walk away...and my daughter knows most of the people who live in the homes on the way so she could stop at any of their homes if she needed help.
I think some posters have this vision of my daughter alone in a deserted inner city park and that just isn't the case.
I also think people have different interpretations of the word "supervised". If you know where your children are and who they are with are they supervised or not?
From the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children:
Quote:
Don’t confuse children by warning against “strangers.” Danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a “stranger.”
I like how everyone thinks "Since it's so rare for a kid to get kidnapped..."
Lots of things are rare. Being mauled by a tiger in captivity is pretty rare. But I wouldn't drop my son in a cage with one (or in a jungle where one might just show up).
What's the need? I was never left at the park by myself, but I became a strong, self-sufficient, responsible man anyway.
OMG! I love you! (I'm waiting for "leave your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition day)
It happens almost every day in parts of South Dakota- I know because I lived there and was shocked when I first moved there (along with leaving doors to house unlocked or even opened when away), but grew quite comfortable with it after a short while and yes, also eventually lived leaving my house unlocked and car keys in the ignition
"Are your children safe alone at the park?" No, absolutely not. That's why they get kidnapped, raped and murdered, because their parents or some trusted adult wasn't keeping an eye out on them. Even though the rate of these things have gone down, they still happen and they're going to happen to some child and that child could be yours. It's something that could have been prevented in the first place. Children need to be watched and protected at all times.
Now that I think about it, maybe that's why the rate of child abduction and murdering was higher in the past, because parents let them alone more.
This flies directly in the face of everything we know about child murders and rapes.
Please, get your facts straight. The world won't seem so scary after you do.
Oh goodness. Better not let them ride in a car. Or sleep in a bed...since they're more likely to die falling out of bed. Or getting hit by lightening.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magritte25
This flies directly in the face of everything we know about child murders and rapes.
Please, get your facts straight. The world won't seem so scary after you do.
Oh for the love of Mary, you can't even say anything on here without getting mocked for it can you? *sigh*
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