There was a time when a parent could confidently say that Ms. Smith or Mr. Jones was watching their children outside playing because it was true. When children were in their glory riding their bikes, playing catch or some other made-up game, somebody on that block was watching whether or not their own children were out there.  Many times neighbors would come to their doors and windows to see what was going on and who was out there. We called them nosy back then; today they would be considered caring.

Fast forward to the new millennium where everything is moving forward except common sense and the concern for others. Young people are walking the streets all times of day and we do not know who they are. And the sad thing is – we don’t care. So, we can’t really say that Ms. Green or Mr. Brown is watching your children because we do not know who our neighbors are. Many times we don’t bother to take the time to introduce ourselves.

Oh, we begin to care when one of those young people damag,e our property or disrespect us in some other manner. We then want to put a name to the face and find out who they belong to. But, has it occurred to you that if you take the time to do that now, such incidents may not occur? Or, at least reduce the likelihood of it happening – depending on how the parents are raising them.

Here’s another thought on who’s watching your children.

I don’t sit outside on my porch often, but when I do I notice the same few cars driving around several times. Some of the drivers are neighborhood people just out joy riding (even with gas $100 a gallon), others are scoping out the community to see what they can get into. And some times, unfortunately, they may be on the prowl for little kids. That may sound outrageous, but check out the sex offender listing in your zip code. Just did a quick check on the Illinois Sex Offender site and found 172 found in my zip code. How many people on that list are label as “sexual predators”?  Sexual predators are people who go after children.  Do you see any familiar faces  Do you see addresses registered on your block?

There is a guy registered on my block, but he doesn’t live at the particular house registered. So, where is he? Wherever he is, the children are not safe. Neither the children nor their parents know it.

The are two points to this story: get to know your neighbors and check out the sex offender list. You don’t have to be friends with people on your block, but you should at least know who lives in your immediate area. People walk through different neighborhoods all the time and you need to know who live on your block. Also, check the sex offender listing every once in a while. You could be living next door or close to a registered offender and don’t even know it.

Most importantly, keep an eye on your children because if you are not watching them, someone else is.

Image: abstract-thoughts