Comments on: I’ve Been Watching Too Much Law & Order

By: family of five:

family of five: — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:32:00 +0000

That is creepy!! But being me, I would’ve pulled out my camera to start taking snaps of the peeper to file a complaint with the local police, they like info like that.. so that way if he were to do something like that later on to someone, they would have a history on him…

Strength in numbers, playgroup/playdate…

By: honglien123

honglien123 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 23:28:00 +0000

Here are the links for the Berenstain Bears book and Sesame Street DVD in case others wanted to see what I used for my kids:

Sesame Street: Big Bird Get's Lost

Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers

By: agpie's mom

agpie's mom — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 23:45:00 +0000

paranoia isn’t healthy? i have a strap on the handle bar of the stroller which i ALWAYS put around my wrist. b/c even before agpie could walk, i was afraid of someone coming and grabbing the stroller right out of my hands. now that she can walk, i seriously think about the leash. and, i am glad she was a late-walker. i can only take so much. fortunately, or unfortunately, agpie needs to get some braces on her ankles to strengthen her step - i feel like this will make her less desirable to the creepy folk… and that makes me a feel a little better (about the braces).
i too am getting the sesame dvd and bernstein book. right away.
oh - and one more thing - i think it’s more likely to happen in the suburbs. safety in numbers (and foot traffic).

By: halfmama

halfmama — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 23:24:00 +0000

honglien: Thank you for the book suggestions. I’m going to ‘amazon’ them (even though I hate amazon but that’s another post). And, I picture Adam Walsh all the time too. How sad.

Cece: Law of Attraction–I know! But so much easier to say than do. I swear, it really is. I think it’s a gift that I don’t have. But I’ll keep working on it.

Superha: 8 or 9? Ugh! I still can’t believe that my parents would let me walk to my friends’ houses by myself. That freaks me out.

MN: I agree — meeting the other parents or at least seeing the same ones makes me feel better. I am hyper-aware of everyone who walks in the playground.

By: Mama Nabi

Mama Nabi — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:24:00 +0000

Having had certain creepy things happen to me, I am always on alert mode. As soon as I walk into the room, playground, store, I scan the area for possible pervs, kidnappers, and anyone who doesn’t seem to have a child but is hanging around for no good reason.
That IS sad… but I feel better once I’ve assessed the environment. If that creepy guy is there again, maybe ask another parent what he/she thinks of the situation? Another thing that helps me is if I know that the other parents are also being vigilant.
I know, I am also a Law & Order addict and my motto is: “What would Det. Stabler do?”

By: Superha

Superha — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:17:00 +0000

no, i’d stay the heck away from mr. creepy. there are so many freaks in this world. that kinda scares me to think about predators lurking out there. i remember getting whistles and stuff like starting when i was 8 or 9 walking home from school. i will never let my kids walk home by themselves. never.

By: kim

kim — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:29:00 +0000

Creepy, creepy… you make me want to hold Emmy tighter and hope that she never learns to run. I’m interested to see what people say about how/when to introduce these ideas to kids - I just stick to Em’s side like glue for the most part…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:59:00 +0000

Law of Attraction. Law of Attraction. You bring into your world what you concentrate most on. I suggest you start thinking of other things, keep being protective of your children and stop, STOP, focusing on what-can-happen, what-could-happen, etc. etc. Seriously. Cece

By: honglien123

honglien123 — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:09:00 +0000

You are NOT alone! I freak out if I’m with my kids and they leave my sight for a few seconds too. For me, it’s both the playground AND in stores. Adam Walsh’s face flashes in my head anytime Evie runs around a corner at the grocery store.

Like you, I know that it’s really a whole lot of paranoia and I can’t always be there, but it makes ME feel better when I am there. It’s kind of sad but my kids know that when mommy’s happy, everyone’s happy…er. I don’t think you should have talked to the creepy guy, but if you see him again in the same context, definitely.

For Evie we read her books about strangers early on (I haven’t really started with Sweet Pea, maybe because he’s a boy, and I’m sexist like that). The Berenstein Bears have a great stranger book and Sesame Street also has a great video on what to do if you’re lost. It’s crazy that crime stats have actually been falling over the last decade and a half or so, but still. I’m even more freaked out than my parents.