I love map apps. My friends just introduced me to Waze this past weekend, and oh my gosh, I love it! I use Google Maps on my phone and Waze to check for traffic/cops/hazards. My friends and family say I drive fast (not TOO fast), and these map apps help me get to my destination that much quicker. Lots of places to be and things to do!

One map that you may not know about is the Texas Sex Offender Registry map. If you click on this link here, you can enter your zip code and click on DISPLAY AS MAP. If you enter your address, you can see all the registered sex offenders living in your neighborhood.

This isn’t a traffic map and those aren’t traffic offenders being tagged…

I check this periodically just to be aware. Aware of who is living around me. Aware of where I won’t let the kids play outside. Aware of how many sex offenders there are in my community. It will shock you. It will also make you realize sexual abuse/assault knows no boundaries. It is a community-wide epidemic. We need to do everything we can to protect our children and being AWARE is a great start.

Remember my pointers to help protect your children:

1. Please talk to your children about their private parts and keeping them private. You can’t protect them from the evils of this world by ignoring the topic and sheltering them forever. Protect them by educating them and empowering them to say “no.”

2. Discuss stranger danger. It doesn’t happen often, but if a person tries to take your cute little nugget, what should s/he do?

3. Talk about these things often. Every chance you can. Just as often as you tell them “look both ways before you cross the street” and “don’t play with matches.”

4. If you don’t know how to start those conversations, Camp Careful can help you! The classes make this topic easy to understand, engaging for the kids, and non-threatening for everyone. Register for a class on December 4th. The 3-6 year old class is at 2:15pm and the 7-14 year old class is at 3:00pm. Sign up quickly since classes sell out fast. If the class fills up, I will add another set of classes on Sunday, December 11th. Please comment below if this date works better for you anyway.

Hope to see you all soon! You can sign up for your next Camp Careful class with this link.

Thank you, and as always, empower your kids and stay safe!

Soo Battle, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this website/blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the relationship that exists between you and your pediatrician or doctor. Please contact your doctor for medical advice and/or treatment recommendations specific to your child.