A
Must Read for All who have children or grandchildren
EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS
and HAVE YOUR CHILDREN READ IT TOO!
After tossing her books on
the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line . She
logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy
List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213: Hi. I'm glad you are on! I
thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV.
Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe
neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I
guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked
out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out
on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid
you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after
school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets.
LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have
tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to
go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I
don't want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member
menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he
highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write
down what he knew about Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age: 13 State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating
and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she
lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed
by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home
from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on
the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite
number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade
at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the
conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her
now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the
incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want
them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball
games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It
made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and
sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about
the footsteps following her.
Her game was in full swing when suddenly
she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came
back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man
watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first
base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she
quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.
After the game, he sat on a bleacher
while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she
walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on
the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.
Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind
her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw
where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a
bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a
fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that
evening when she heard voices in the living room.
"Shannon, come here," her father called. He
sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the
room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa.
"Sit down," her father began, "this
man has just told us a most interesting story about you."
Shannon sat back. How could he tell her
parents anything? She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man
asked.
"No," Shannon answered.
"I am a police officer and your online
friend, GoTo123."
Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible!
GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan!"
The man smiled. "I know I told you all
that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon, there are people on-line
who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it
to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it
to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you
how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough
about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school
you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you
played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you
a breeze."
Shannon was stunned. "You mean you
don't live in Michigan?"
He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh.
It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't
it?"
She nodded.
"I had a friend whose daughter was like
you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her
while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they
are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick
you into giving out information a little here and there on-line.
Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you
without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a
lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they
will be safe too?"
"It's a promise!"
That night Shannon and her Dad and
Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting
Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
A Must Read for All who have children
or grandchildren
