Friday, May 25, 2007

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.

3 comments:

Kate said...

Yea!!! Your first official entry...and what an imporatant one, at that! It's so necessary now to put on your "mom radar"...not with just your kids, but with others. Also, it's never too early to teach your kids "stranger danger". The one rule we have in this house is to have a family "code word". If you don't know the code word, than the kids will not leave with you...under any circumstances. Praise God Emma wasn't harmed! Good job Mom for reporting the creep-o to mall security!

Anonymous said...

Very proud of you for spreading this important information, not only to other "bloggers" but to mall security. May I add one other important thought process in a situation like this? Everyone needs to train themselves to remember that sometimes "creep-o's" work in pairs. You could find yourself in a situation where one person approaches you simply to distract you, while the other makes their move. I know-over protective "nanna" radar is at work again! And always remember, the devil looks like you and me, you can't judge someone's character by their appearance-Thank goodness, your angel of protection was on duty with you today.

Anonymous said...

Wow Mandi, that is really scary! I just about have a nervous break down anytime the kids get out of my sight. Jack, who will be two in July, tried walking out of ChickfilA the other day and a store employee caught him before he made it out of the exterior door. I thought I was going to have a heart attack!