It seems that all I have been hearing about lately is child pornography and sexual predators.

There was a man arrested here in Natchez a couple of weeks ago for child pornography and a few were arrested in  Jackson this past week. This morning I heard on the radio that there was another arrest around the Alexandria area.

It was all for the same kind of disgusting thing. Now I know that there are all kinds of sexual offenders and there is no excuse for any of that. But those predators who prey on innocent children are just downright sickening.

There is so much I would like to say about these kind of people, but being a Christian, I will pray that God will have mercy on them instead.

My purpose of this article is to get the parents involved. Having a teenage daughter myself who loves to get on MySpace and is constantly texting on her cell phone, I am very aware of who she is texting and what she is texting.

I’m also aware of who her friends are on her MySpace page, and I keep a very close eye on what she is putting out there for those to read. I have even checked the state Web site to see what sexual predators live in my area.

I’m very aware that there are some sex offenders that are not registered, and this is why we must stay involved in our children’s daily activities, even if it means an argument has to take place.

My teen daughter tells me all the time that I invade her private space by monitoring her text messages.

But I feel that its my job to make sure she is protected. We teach our children to never talk to strangers, and we have to enforce that rule. If we don’t protect our children, who will?

I want to encourage parents to get involved with their kids daily lives.

Be aware of the surroundings that your child is in at all times. Do research to see if there are any sex offenders registered in your neighborhood. Both Mississippi and Louisiana have Web sites that you can log onto.

Let’s step up and protect our kids. No one else is going to do it for you and no one else should have to!

It is our responsibility as parents!

Crystal Warren is an Adams County resident and a mother.