Stranger Danger

Well, today I learned a very important lesson that I felt compelled to share with you all. I took Emma and Hanna over to visit with my mother last night. Today we went to the mall in Lancaster PA on a search for the Shrek babies at Build A Bear. After we found the babies, we ate some lunch then headed to the play area in the mall. All was well, not to crowded, just the way I like it. A man approached me and asked me if a particular man in a white shirt was with me. I told him no. At that point he explained to me that he had been watching this man watch some of the children. He stated that his "creep meter" was going off and he felt like he needed to make me aware. A tad bit skeptical I to started to watch the man. Now, if you know me you know, that I watch the girls like a hawk. They don't get far out of my reach. So, I stood there and watched. This strange man was following Emma. The man that approached me told me that the other man seemed very fond of this little girl, probably because she was wearing a dress. He then pointed to Emma. So..I marched over to Emma and picked her up. The nice man who had approached me then went over to the older man who had been watching Emma. He said something to him, he older man put his hands up in the air and said he would leave. The gentleman then walked back over to me to explain that he was a correctional officer and was trained to be on guard. I thanked him repeatedly and we all went on our way. I said a prayer and thanked God for the nice man who had approached me to make me aware. The moral of the story is, Watch your kids, but always be on the lookout for others who may also be watching your kids. I followed up with the mall security to report the man who was at the kids play area, obviously without a real need to be there. Praise God for the correctional officer who helped to open my eyes to a scary situation.