I was online working and reading vj and I got a call from the police saying that they are with my 10 yr old. All blood rushed from my face and I dropped the phone and went over to the house they were at which is approx 8 houses down from mine. she walked home with her bf as she always does on Fridays and when her friend couldn't play she walked home to my house. She was about 6 houses away when a woman in a minivan with very dark windows pulled over and asked if she wanted a ride. She said no thank you and the woman insisted and opened the car door and said c'mon it's too cold to walk get in the car. My daughter turned around and ran as fast as she could to a woman's house that she knows two doors down from the spot she was and the woman called the police and made her some hot cocoa. I was supposed to have a dentist appt but it got cancelled so she didn't call me. I just got home. she's at a party now...it was her biggest worry...getting to her christmas party. I've had a fkg bad night and I'm now shaking. She's getting picked up by her dad so I can't even be with her tonight. Please hug your kids before you go to bed tonight and don't let them walk anywhere alone.

Wow that is horrible!
I'm so glad she is safe and okay....there are some scary people out there!

Thank goodness she's okay! You obviously taught her well.

what's really freaky is that this is the third time something like this has happened in my town. I just don't get it. It's a teeny tiny town and nothing like this has ever happened before and then wham in the past two years we've gotten fliers home from school saying that someone was abducted or someone attempted to abduct a child. The last time was a few months ago. My daughter is in fifth grade and was adamant about not going to after school care since her sister stopped going in fifth grade so I said ok but as soon as we got the flier I put her back in except on Fridays which is the day I work from home. I would normally pick her up too but I was supposed to be at the dentist and she lost her cellphone so I let her walk home with her best friend. Her best friend called the house a few hours ago crying saying it's all her fault. The detective handling the case has been great. He keeps calling me every hour to see how I'm doing. I'm not doing good. I'm typing through tears here. I have been so freakin' calm the whole night but when I finally called my husband I fell totally apart. If anything happened to my baby I don't know what I would do. She's my baby and is so very trusting and innocent. Quite frankly I'm shocked that she didn't go in the woman's car. I'm so proud of her. Her little legs were shaking most of the time we were at the police station.

alhamdulillah [thank God] she's okay!! some people are really scary...

My gosh. You have done a GREAT job raising that little girl in order for her to be so level-headed and do what she did.
Clearly no parent ever wants to hear what you did, but thank God everything turned out ok.
I just hugged my daughter

Wow that's scary.

I agree with Sharon -- you've taught your daughter very well. Thanks God she knew exactly what to do, and she did it immediately. She's a very smart young lady -- you should be very proud of her !



-MK

i'm so sorry! you must be so nervous but feel safe you raised her right and she made the right decision by going away! a similar story happened to me (but it was like 2 years ago instead of when i was a child) i was eating in a restaurant alone in queens, NY and asked the owner about a dish he served because it was so good. he told me what was in it, i paid, and asked him how to get a certain direction because i was walking. i walked out, and a few minutes later i was walking on a deserted street and a big van pulled up next to me. the door swung open and it was him, the owner of the restaurant, asking me if i wanted a ride!!! i said no in a kind voice, and began walking away. he insisted i get in countless times and began to get angry. he then followed me. once i ran to a place there were more people he took off. ugh that was a scary day. i'm glad your daughter is safe! *hugs*

Oh gosh - I cant imagine the fear of this glad she is safe.

Holy mother of goodness!!! What a scary thing to have happen!!! I'm so glad she was smart and is safe. It proves you've done something right! Good job. I just gave my son a great big hug.

amal

OMG!! THis is one of my biggest fears for my children. I can't imagine what you are going through right now. It is wonderful that your daughter was so level headed and got herself to a safe place. Be proud of her and yourself for teaching her so well.

You know what is weird............I dropped everything and bolted out the door. I didn't put my hijab on for the first time since I started wearing it. Didn't even think about it only was concerned about getting to my little girl. In the police station while she was in with the sketch artist the detective came over to me and asked me questions.

Then he said to me, "do you know anyone who wears one of those turban things?", I said, "a turban??", and he said, "yeah you know some cultures, like in India, they wear those turban things...........do you know anyone from India??? "

I thought for a minute and then dawn lit over marblehead and i said, "ooooooooooooooooooooooooh. lol. I wear hijab usually but I'm not wearing it right now. I'm muslim." He said, "what the heck is a hijab?".

lol. I explained it to him. I said I must stick out like a sore thumb in this town huh? He said, "no no no...it's just some of the folks we interviewed said they've seen her with a woman wearing a turban.

Thank God for angels like your neighbor to provide a safe haven for your child. And let your daughter know how proud we all are of her for her quick thinking in a scary situation. She was definitely taught well . It not right that we should have to live with fear of our children being stolen from us, but its still comforting to know that your little lady had courage and kept her wits about her. Stories like this make me want to keep my baby in the womb forever , but Im giving him an internal hug for your daughter's sake. I know it must be difficult for you tonight, so Ill throw in a *hug* for you as well.

What a horrible story! Thank God she is okay and safe and sound back to being a child, enjoying a party. It's the grace of God that she is okay and reacted so quickly and intelligently in the midst of pressure and fear. Blessings on your family for safety and protection.

thank God she's all right!!!!

hahaha..thats so funny....

OMG, Bridget. Thank God she's ok.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God she is ok, and had the sense to run away!!

Absolutely.

A big hug to YOU and to your daughter. thats hideous. THANK GOD it ended up well.

this baby is so cute.. i bet all her dads family in morocco are crazy about her

Bridget - Thank the Lord your daughter is okay! Keep pointing her in the right direction

Ann

Can you call her tomorrow - give her phone hugs...

Oh my goodness Doods I am so glad she was able to get to somewhere safe. And really glad that it does not seem to have upset her so it will affect her too much in the future. Thank God!

omg i'm glad to hear she is safe doodle.

Goodness! im glad she is safe!!! youve taught her well!! give her biggg hugs when u can. hugs to you too mama

Same for me How are you this morning? Did you get any sleep?

Sorry to hear that you have had to go through this and so glad that she is safe. Take pride in knowing that you have taught her well and she knew how to react. Also be glad that you all know your neighbors and she kows who she can go to and seek safety.

I supervise sex offenders and sexual predators on a daily basis. I have both men and women and live in a small town also. I have about 50 offenders total. If I were to meet some of them on the street I would not think they were a sex offender. There are a few where it would cross my mind, but for the most part, I wouldn't know. Most sex offenders have victims that they know. They are family, or close friends of family. Understand that I am not including your statutory rapist in this, but those who victimize children. Children who are pre-pubescent (sp) are at highest risk to be victims. These crimes also happen close to home. Education is key.

Most people have the thought process that it won't happen here in my town or to my children. Sorry to say, but that is false. It is peritnent to know those who live near you, work with you and that your children know them too. Stranger Danger is not taught like it once was years ago and sex crimes are becoming more publicized. Be aware of your surroundings at all times and have open communication with your children. Take the time to review the sex offender registry where you live and in surronding areas. Also look at the sexual predator pages. Show your children the people on these lists so they know who to run from immediately.

Sorry, I got on a soap box there, but everyone needs to be aware. I can't tell you how releived I am to here that this had a positive outcome for you and that you have taught your daughter so well.

Good advice. It definitely was not anyone that we know. My ex said she was shaken up once she got home after the party but he snuggled her throughout the night and she seems to be doing better today. My 11 yr old just keeps staring at her. lol.

I'm glad your daughter is safe, and I hope they catch the bad guys!

Bridget--thank God your daughter is safe!

I am glad she is safe and sound!!!


Meriem

good post i've gone around and around in ot about the sex offender registry, i think it's an important tool parents should use and be aware of. i did learn some surprising things on the local area - there is a bunch of them clustered together in the downtown area (about 75% of those in the county) and there is even one living on the military base! none within about 10 miles of me though.

I am so happy that she is okay - what a traumatic experience....plz take care..

http://www.wickedlocal.com/swampscott/homepage/x1720556771


The press really botched it up. She's 10 not 12. I could swear I just saw this woman at TJ Maxx like an hour ago!

OMG! Good thing she thought clearly and ran to safety. Most of the time epople won't try to forcibly abduct a child off the street because it draws too much attention-- so she did a good thing. No one ever tried to abduct me as a child, but someone called the police on my dad saying he was abducting me-- I had thrown up in the car and was pretty young (5) and he had pulled over, gotten me out of the car, took off my shirt (it was covered in wet vomit and was pretty disgusting) and we drove home. Then the police called our house and i answered the phone and they asked for my dad-- the officer knew him because they worked together Anyway, before he asked for my dad he asked if I was OK and being 5, it didn't occur to me how that would be that strange, so I said I felt much better now that I had thrown up and went home but that I was going to pick some flowers for my dad and say i was sorry because he had to clean a bunch of throw-up from the car. He laughed and thought that was amusing I guess.

Double I had never thought to look up the SOR, thank you both for pointing this out. With a little one on the way and thoughts of daycare and schools in the not-too-distant future, I really want to know whose going to be within a stone's throw of my child.

And for our OP, how are you feeling today? Things calming down a little? Hope you gave that young lady of yours lots of hugs and encouragement for her smart-thinking

no i'm not doing better. I'm more freaked because my mom told me that when she brought some lemon bars (the ones from the paula deen recipe i posted) to this retired police man in her building she asked him, "what on earth would someone want with a 10 year old child?????" and he responded that people have been attempting to abduct them so they can sell them.

So now I'm freaked that maybe this wasn't so random. I'm not going to take my eyes off of her from now on. My 11 yr old travels in packs no less than 6 or 7 so I'm not as worried about her but my 10 yr old is sort of a loner and an adventurer so she's going to have some excessive supervision from now on.

How scary for you all. I hope they realize how serious this is and are alert at all times because they may try again like you suspect that it wasn't random.

Im praying for peace and safety for you and yours, hon. I hope you wont have to live in fear long and they catch the nasty people who are stalking children there.

Worst words any parent can hear, as in the case of my gdaughter also watch who they befriend, kids today know so much more than we ever did, young in years but big in thoughts

Triple Having worked in child protection for nearly 8 years...I am very good friends w/my state Reg Sexual Offenders List....and its amazing how many are listed and many in my own town....

Glad to hear she is ok.

Thank God she is safe

You are so fortunate she was smart and level headed and ran to the neighbors. Thank God!!!!!!

Cheryl

I am so sorry to hear about this. I am so happy that your daughter is safe and ok. Things like this really make me so upset! You have a smart young lady to know what to do. I am happy she is ok!!



AJ1

So I'm including this from our Dec. 07 school newspaper for statistical purposes. I had no idea!

Stranger Danger --it’s a catchy little phrase my parents taught to there ‘far-too-outgoing’ little princess in order to remind her to be cautious with people. “Never never talk to strangers!” my mother used to remind us, almost daily. “If someone offers you candy, don’t take it -run away!” she’d
say. “If a man ever asks you to help him fi nd his lost kitten --scream and run in the other direction!” These and many other reminders were common place. Unfortunately, like a lot of other children, I didn’t really know a “stranger” and I often thought my mom was getting a little carried away. I knew nothing of the reality. I was fortunate. I didn’t have to learn how wrong I was. I’m old enough to know now that other children were not so fortunate. And as a parent myself today, I wanted to know what the REAL dangers were. In today’s global, educated world --I wondered if Stranger Danger was that important. I found the statistics, and they are more than just alarming.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a predator is trying to abduct a child every 4.5 minutes! Over 150 children are abducted every single day! Over 3000 children are reported missing or separated from their parents every day!

Now, I don't mean to frighten you. And I don’t think we need to zip-tie our children to our wrists in order to keep them close and safe. But what I do know is thatit’s my responsibility as Mom to make sure that my kids are aware of the real dangers out there and what they can do to stay safe. If you need a place to start, here’s a great activity to do with your kids: Go to http://pediatrics.about.com/od/parentingqu...l_strngdngr.htm and have each of your children take the 15-question Stranger Awareness quiz. It’ll only take a few minutes, and it will give you and your kids important information. Then, if you’re interested in learning more about the actual Stranger Danger program, please email us at source@stuorgs.uidaho.edu. We’re working on how S.O.U.R.C.E. may be able to coordinate a Identi-a-kid activity and need feedback on how many parents are interested. We’d love to include you and your kids!

I bet your still freaking out... this is sooo frightening!!

I have not had a goodnight sleep in two days because 1) she's in my bed now and 2) she wakes me up every 1/2 hour to tell me to put my arm around her.

This is a truly scary story - I had chills reading it but I so am glad that your little one did the right thing...

D.

That is sooo frightening! Good thing you're daughter knew what to do! You taught her well!

I had a similiar experience when I was 13. A man kept cruising the block as I was walking home. He offered me a ride and I refused and said, "I live right here." I then went the house I was in front of and knocked and told them I needed to "jump their back fence." It never occured to me to say I was being followed by a man in a car. They let me in and I jumped their fence to get to our neighbors back yard. But my dress got caught on the fence and I was dangling there.
But I got pulled off by the neighbors and ran home.

I am so happy she had the right train of through to run and not get in the car. It’s so crazy that anyone would want to do something to a child. If this woman did have bad intent for your daughter then I hope she gets strung up by her toe nails and tarred. People like that make me sick.