Lola B's

Late yesterday afternoon….Mason and Lola were playing out front when they came running inside…

breathing hard and obviously terrified.

They said there was a car that had parked on the street….and a man was watching them…

so i ran outside….and as i got out…i noticed the car already gone and turning onto another street from ours.

{four door…dark blue or black ……with a man in his 20′s driving..as described by them}

Of course…being the NON over reacting mother that i am…….

i first asked the kids if possibly….just maybe….was there a sign on top of the car…

like a “Domino’s”….or “Chinese delivery”….

because my neighbor gets take out delivered all the time.

The kids said NO.

I walked over to my neighbors to make sure…..and no one was home.

My second thought was to ask the kids if by chance….

were they maybe playing to close to the street…

because it has been known…that a car will drive by…and they wave it down.

Or…maybe they were just playing to close to the street period…and the car had stopped because

they were just being silly.

It’s been known to happen.

But they said no…they were not…and i realized…that if they were nervous enough to come running in

and tell me they were scared…that i needed to call the police.

{this was our first legal call to 911…and i was a little nervous the operator would ask me if my

kids were crank calling again}

My kids did the right thing.

I’ve always since day one….shoved Stranger Danger down their throats.

My dad was a cop….and i’ve always told the kids the same thing my dad always instilled in us

growing up…and that was…trust your instinct.

Kids have instincts….but kids tend to trust adults because they’ve always been taught to respect them.

If some stranger came up to Lola and said he lost his puppy…well damn …she’d be the first one to

volunteer to help find it.

If some stranger came up to Fin and said he had a huge bar of chocolate sitting in his car….

well damn ….he’d be the first one to hop in and look for it.

I’m hoping strangers don’t use that tactic anymore….for my kids sake…..but anyhoo….

i’m so freakin proud of them for listening to their instinct that something was not feeling right..

and came right in to tell me.

The police came…but before they showed up…i told the kids that now was the time to tell me if

they have stolen anything….or committed any certain crime…

because the police know everything.

They were adamant that they had NOT done anything wrong lately.

{police legally showing up doesn’t happen often…so it was a good time to see if anyone needed to come clean;-) }

The police came…took a report…and told the kids that they did the right thing.

We’ve also talked with the kids about the actual fact of being taken.

It’s hard…because kids get scared …but it is so important.

We’ve told them..if in fact…that they are grabbed…or being forced against their will…..

that there is nothing for them to do but FIGHT back.

Yell…..scream….bite…kick and fight.

I told them the same thing my dad told me……..that the minute you are taken into that car….

your chances of getting out are pretty close to none.

Do not get into that car.

{i really do believe it’s best to be honest with my kids}

I would rather them die trying to get away….then to be taken away.

{no one wants to think about that….}

So…anyhoo….i’m just popping in today…to say how important it is to always be talking with

your kids about strangers and listening to their instinct….because it has a voice.

My kids listened to theirs…and because they did….they are sitting right here with me…..

and even though…we don’t know if in fact that the man who was watching them was indeed watching

them with a criminal intent…i would rather err on the side of caution..because it’s better to be safe…

then sorry. The kids were scared…and that’s not something to take lightly.