The other day we had an instance occur which I like to call "a gentle reminder". Mack's old provider which is also where baby boy will go used this term. We live in a nice neighborhoold. 'Nice' meaning people take care of their houses and lawns and that it is a safe neighborhood where people watch out for each other. Back to the point. Recently, I have been letting Schuyler ride her bike in the front yard by herself and normally I'm waiting for Mack to get her shoes on or in the backyard with Mack. Schuyler knows her limits. She can only go 2 houses up, 2 houses down and halfway up the walkpath, which is adjacent to our house. The other day, a white car drove past and slowed down by our house. I didn't see the whole incident since I was in the garage but after it happened one of our neighbors huddled a few of us together. Apparently, it had slowed down by his house as his son was playing outside. It disturbed his son, TJ, enough that TJ went and got him. So, the initial time when I saw the white car was actually the 2nd drive by. As we were talking, it drove by again. This time we took down info. I got the liscense and Jim got the make/model and year and we all got a glimpse of the man driving. Some time went by and the kids and I resumed playing. However, it did drive by a 4th time.
By this time, I was getting bit paranoid and so I tried talking to Mack, Schuyler and her friend Abby about the incident. While this was not the first conversation we've had with Schuyler, I'm still not sure she understood the message. I struggle with this b/c I want her to understand the importance and danger of strangers but at the same time you don't want your child to have a fear of everything. It's finding the right balance. My whole point is this served as a gentle reminder to make sure you remind your kids of not talking to strangers. Also, I'ved had second thoughts about Schuyler riding her bike alone in the front yard. I think we'll stick to the safety of our backyard with the privacy fence.
To finish the saga, I did call the police department and apparently Jim had to. A police officer came to our home and took our report. He did indicate he was familiar with the gentlemen driving and that he had no crimes against children nor adults. Apparently, he has drove up and down other neighborhoods, but this is the first time he's "watched kids". The officer also indicated the man is not mentally all there. Another neighbor followed up with police chief Cassidy. The man lives on the other side of the city and to his knowledge, really should not be driving in our area. Cassidy said he has been ticketed for having a pipe and on one other occassion when him and his brother made a fire on airport property and roasted hot dogs.
I'm sure that was more detail then needed but just wanted to share the gentle reminder. Have a good weekend.
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