CALLING ALL PARENTS!
Do you worry about leaving your kids with the nanny, babysitter, or even school coach? It is natural for a parent to always worry; thinking of worse case scenarios helps us to keep our kids safe and anticipate danger before it happens. However, when our kids leave our care and we have to leave them with another person how do we ensure that they are in “good hands?!?” Well, you could take the person’s word for it entrusting them with the life of your precious child or you could be proactive about it and do what my mother did when I was a child; run a criminal background check on EVERYONE!
Now, it may be obvious that you should run a criminal background check on the nanny or babysitter. However, our children interact with many different people throughout the course of their childhood that you may not have considered as of yet. There are five groups of people you should be considering running background checks on before leaving them with your children…
Babysitters, Nannies, Caregivers, Daycare Employees:
We have all heard the horror stories in the news about babies and kids dying in the hands of their babysitter, nanny, or even at daycare. It seems like there is a new cover story every day! So, it should seem obvious to run background checks on these people BEFORE a tragic event happens under their watch. However, not a lot of people do and you never know who you are really let take care of your child. Typically, these occurrences happen to our children when they are most vulnerable, as infants or toddlers, so they cannot protect themselves nor tell you if something is going on when you are not around. These people are absolutely the most important to run background checks on before you allow them to take care of your baby.
Instructors, Coaches, Teachers, Spiritual Leaders, Counselors:
As our little ones start to grow past the toddler stage, they start to interact with a different group of people you should consider checking out. From religious figures to sports coaches, you really just can’t trust anyone nowadays. Our children end up trusting these types of people and then they take advantage. All extracurricular activity involves a mentor, leader, advisor, or coach that you should consider doing a background check on before committing to that activity. It’s actually more common for young children and teens to be prayed upon then you might think!
Neighbors & Friends’ Parents/Siblings:
This group might be the one that is most overlooked; our neighbors and kids friends. Sometimes we can trust these people without evening knowing who the actually are, but everyone has secrets. Just some of our secrets are darker than others. Knowing about past drug convictions, DUI’s, or worse, sexual offenses of the people our children spend the most time with when in their teenage or college age years is imperative! Checking into your neighbors before moving into a certain area or checking into the parents and siblings of your child’s friends before allowing them to spend the night might protect them from the unthinkable. And don’t forget to check out the neighbors and friends your college-age child will be associating with once they are out of your house. We all know we don’t stop protecting our kids just because they’ve moved out; it almost becomes more important the less control we have over their lives.
Girlfriends & Boyfriends:
We believe as parents that our children will always be our babies, however, they will and do grow up. Eventually, they will want to start dating. That means getting a boyfriend or girlfriend and allowing them to go in these people’s vehicles and spend a lot of time outside the home with them. Before I am ever letting my children ride in the car with one of their boy or girlfriends, I am checking for DUI’s, reckless driving, or any other criminal offense that could put my child’s life in danger! I also want to ensure they will not be going out with someone who has a past history of sexual assault or is actually older than what they said they were.
Other People:
Lastly, but certainly not least there is a group of people that we barely even pay attention to because the interaction with our children is so limited. However, the predators that lurk out there are counting on this! These are the mail carriers, bus drivers, landscapers, trash collectors, etc! I would want to know if the person coming to my house to mow my lawn while my kid is outside riding their bike is a registered sex offender, wouldn’t you?
Use Background Checks To Protect Life’s Most Precious Gifts – Our Children!
It may seem like a daunting and tedious task to run background checks on all the people I mentioned in this article. However, have no fear because there is an amazing app that can help you streamline this process called People Finders. With this app on your smartphone, you can search through your existing phone contacts and select the people you wish to do a background check on. You can also use the app to block unknown or unwanted people from calling and texting! So, whether you are wanting to check to make sure your child’s nanny doesn’t have a criminal background or you just want to know a bit more information about the boy who asked to take your daughter out on a date, the People Finder app is just what you need!
It is free to download and use blocking service and basic people lookup then extremely inexpensive to do a full background and/or criminal background check. Download the app for Apple or Android devices!
iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/app/background-check-peoplefinders/id1444840083
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.peoplefinders