Saturday, January 3, 2009

OH. MY. GAWD.

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I watched the movie Mr. Brooks last night. If you haven't seen it, it is about a serial killer played by Kevin Costner. It is a pretty good movie. Because of the content, I didn't allow my girls to watch it. I did, however, watch it in my kitchen and they overheard/saw bits and pieces of it. Which led to a discussion about serial killers.
Me: Remember the other day at the mall when I pulled you all aside and quizzed you on what you do if we get separated and you are approached by a stranger?
Girls: Yes
Me: This is partly because of serial killers. They. Are. Real! They aren't made up just for movies.
This led to a discussion about Adam Walsh. I told them his story and then we looked it up on the internet. I wanted them to know that it really was true and people really do kidnap and kill little kids. And big kids. And yes, even adults.
Then we started talking about sex offenders. I looked at the Registered Sex Offender registry online to see if there were any in our subdivision. And lo and behold, there was one. I clicked on HER name, and it brought up her information and her picture. And guess what happened then.
My baby, says, "THAT'S THE CAT LADY THAT LIVES ON THE CORNER!"
Me: WHAT??????? YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS?????
My Baby: Yes! I talk to her all the time!
OHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMY
So, my oldest, wrote down the address and went for a little walk to make sure that it was in fact the same "cat lady" that my baby was referring to and it turns out that my baby knows what she's talking about. CRAP!
So then we had to have a discussion about how NOT to talk to the cat lady anymore. She said she's never been in her house, but that the lady was always asking her questions about where she lived, etc. Now, I am smart enough to know that she probably meant no harm with those questions. I ask kids that all the time when they pass by my house and stop to chat. BUT, the fact that she is a registered sex offender makes me a bit nervous. So, I instructed my kids to walk on the other side of the street and not to talk to her anymore. They can be polite and say hi if she says hi to them, but DO NOT STOP!
Her offense? Lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16
What would you do????

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"What would you do?"

I'd make some cookies, and while the kids are in school, go down the street and introduce myself to this lady. Offer her the cookies and ask if you and she can talk. Explain to her that your daughter told her that "the cat lady" talks to her and that, accidentally you discovered her on the SO registry and would like your mind to be put at ease that she's (the cat lady) not a danger to the neighborhood children.

You'll probably discover, as I did when I introduced myself to the registered sex offender next door to me, that she's sorry for what she did and will NEVER act out again because prison is just too horrible to consider revisiting.

In these modern times when government is charging public urinaters as sex criminals, there are now likely millions of RSO's in the United States; chances are we each have at least one in our neighborhood. Rather than organizing a crowd with burning torches and pitchforks to march onto your neighbors lawn to dispel the evil within, we may want to consider getting involved in our society instead of allowing some faceless government to decide for us if men who had to pee so badly they did so behind a tree, or teens who thought they were in love had a sexual encounter with another teen 2 years younger deserve to be branded criminals for life, and have earned our utter fear and hatred.

penguinsandladybugs said...

I don't agree with Anonymous. I may be jaded from working almost 8 years interviewing children for the police, but I also may be more educated on the subject of child abuse. If this were my neighbor and my child was comfortable talking to them and even had a nickname for the person, I would be even more concerned. Sex offenders are known for setting themselves up to be liked by children. They also develop a friendship with the children first...at least most of the time. Depending on the state, this particular sex offender likely has some guidelines she has to follow which MAY include not having contact with children....which if this is one of her stipulations, she's already broken. Of the many sex offenders I have known of, almost ALL of them would say they would NEVER act out again....they would almost all say they were very sorry. The re-offending rate of convicted sex offenders is astounding. My personal opinion is you are right to educate your children in the way you are, and be extra careful around the "Cat Lady"....if it were me, there is NOTHING she could say that would make me comfortable with her being alone with my children. But....maybe that is just me! I have a lot of faith in the justice system, having worked closely with it for so long....people aren't convicted of a crime willy nilly....and you can't be a registered sex offender without a conviction.

Ronnica said...

I would continue to educate my children on how to handle scary situations...and situations that might not seem scary but could be anyway. You can't protect them from everything bad (of course that doesn't mean that they need to be going into the Cat Lady's house, etc.), so it's best to educate and pray.