Please be Careful

I have felt that I needed to share this with everyone......Please keep your children close to you at all times. This past weekend Chad, the kids and myself all went to Dairy Queen for the Blizzard special, while we were there we saw one of Chad's co-workers that works in the Raleigh office and started talking to him. As we were talking to him an old man came and asked if the kids could go and see his dogs in his car-Oh the kids were so excited!! I said sure and off the kids went with this old man I did not know. As I thought about it Chad was already off to be with the kids, the dogs and the old man. I turned to his co-worker and said, "That man could have gone off with my children." He then told me his wife works for a housing community in Clayton where they have had a man driving around asking children and teenagers to get in his car (This has happened on several occasions). How scary is that. The community is not very far from where I live and can happen in any community.
I know it is so easy to let your children just run at the park, especially when you have more than one child you are trying to keep an eye on and they all want to do different things.
As I have been reflecting on this conversation with Chads co-worker it reminded me of an e-mail I received a couple months ago from one of Chad's sisters who lives in the area. Her and her family were shopping at a near by store and the children went and played in the play area they had in the store. She kept an eye on them and did not wander to far off. One time she went to check on the children she noticed a Man watching his children play (and particularly one of her children), she watched them closer as any mother or parent would do. They checked out and left the store when a man approached them in the Parking Lot and asked, "how old is your daughter" I think the man guessed. The held hands tightly got in the car and drove to the next store they needed to go to in the shopping center. They then saw the man at that store and in the parking lot. Everyone was safe, However this could have ended not so good if my Sister-in-law had not been intune and watching what was going on.
I know that this is not an up beat post but please be careful with those around us and we especially need to talk to our children. It is sad that we can not let our children play like we were able to or be out of sight for something might happen it only takes a second.
I know a lot of people have asked me if I needed help(I guess I look like I need it and I am struggling with three children. I often say no thanks for if I really do I let them carry the grocery's the diaper bag or something I can always replace. I cannot replace my children.
Not everyone is bad, but we do need to be careful with the most precious gift our Heavenly Father has given to us.