Who is Watching Your Children?

If you are not watching your children - whether they are in your yard, a department store, riding a bike in the driveway, or walking to school; do you know who is? Leaving young children unattended is negligent and a heartbreak waiting to happen. Leaving them under the guidance of a young sibling is just as irresponsible; yet I see this nearly every day and cannot comprehend this careless behavior by parents.

Department Store Orphans and Prowling Predators

A department store orphan is the term I use to describe the little kids wandering aimlessly about the store without parental supervision. Oblivious to the world around them; they have no clue I am watching them for the solitary reason of being concerned for their welfare...what about the predator watching them because they see an easy target?

There is no acceptable place in a department store to let a child wander, but the absolute worst place is the toy department. Children tend to zone out the world around them when something piques their interest. Let loose in a toy department, kids lose their hearing while their sight stays focused on the hottest toy gizmo...not a person who might be following them.

When I see, a small child alone anywhere in a store, the mother-grandmother mode kicks in and I feel like I have to watch this tiny stranger because no one else is bothering. At the same time, because of all the mentally sick people looming around every corner in the country, preying on innocent children, I am acutely aware about keeping my distance. It is a double-edge sword for conscientious people who should not have to worry about someone else's child in the first place.

Wandering Neighborhood Children - Who is Watching Them?

When I lived in a small city neighborhood a few years ago, I was appalled at the number of young children who wandered a three-to-five block area day and night without any supervision whatsoever. One boy in particular, who was six, roamed my neighborhood, going from yard to yard looking for someone to play with. Wherever he ended up, that is where he stayed for the day.

If I was at home, I felt like I had to watch him out my windows to make sure he was OK. I happen to be home from work one day and I was doing my dishes, watching the child out my kitchen windows, which were open. He was sitting on my neighbor's lawn because the other boy went in to have lunch I assumed.

I was thinking about offering him a sandwich, when a car pulled up and stopped where he was sitting. I panicked, but before I could get to the door, I heard him yell, "Mom, I'm starving." By then I was at my door and when stuck my head out, I heard her say, "I will go get you a Happy Meal," and off she went.

I was so stunned that she left without him and I was angry, too. I watched from my window and about 15 minutes later, she returned, handed him a Happy Meal and drove off. The little boy sat on my neighbor's lawn and ate his lunch.

I saw this same little boy, standing in the middle of my street (a dead-end) in a thunderstorm at 7 o'clock in the morning and playing basketball with some older kids at 10 o'clock at night. I had to tell him to go home many times. It was so out of control and I was so concerned for this boy's wellbeing, I finally decided to approach the mother.

That was never going to happen, though, because the boy just stopped coming around and my neighbor's son told me he moved somewhere across the city. At least I only had my neighbor's son to look after then, which I did on a daily basis because his mother and father left a lot to desire when it came to parenting skills.

More than ever, children need safeguarding from child predators that wait and watch for the perfect opportunity to pounce. The caring woman in the department store is not responsible for your children. It is also not your neighbor, who should be keeping an eye out for your children either. That is the parent's job! Who is watching your children?