Safety strategies from Megan's Law champion Maureen Kanka

Kanka said raising her other two children, Jeremy and Jessica, became a hard lesson in how little control parents can have over children's actions.

"Those rose-colored glasses come off and you see things differently," she said.

Teaching her son about who in the neighborhood was safe made Kanka aware of the mixed signals children receive every day. Getting candy from grandpa can make an elderly man's offer in the grocery store less threatening to a child.

Melissa Buonocore, another township parent who came to the presentation, said the idea had never struck her before.

"I never really thought about all the mixed signals," she said. "It has to stop."

Kanka emphasized the importance of teaching children about private body parts without shame and to educate them about inappropriate touching.

"As silly as it sounds, you're setting a basis for them on what is good touching and what is bad touching," she said.

Keeping information as specific as possible can only help, according to Kanka.

Lopatcong PTA Vice President Karen Kosar said she was motivated to invite Kanka to speak because of what seems like a constant surge of sexual crimes in the news.