Weekend Reflections: Beware Thy Stranger ( Kids Safety Tips)
A walk down the lane
This week I read on my FB stream from Jamerican Spice about how important it is to teach your child to identify tricky people and be able to make rational judgements in time of need. On her update she quoted a passage from checklistmommy who talked about what you child should do if they were lost and how important it is to be able to identify potential dangerous individuals around us and keep far from them.
In the note it was recommended that the child should look out for a mommy with kids and seek her help if he/she got lost. The reasoning was that there would be lesser chance for him/her to be kidnapped and/or violated by such a person. There was varying opinions in the comments to that blog post however most of them were in the favor that a child would be the “safest” to seek out a mom with kids for help in such a scenario.
Besides knowing who to look for for assistance in time of need they should also be taught to beware of Tricky People.
These are
– grown ups or even big kids who ASK KIDS FOR HELP
– people who TELLS KIDS TO KEEP A SECRET FROM THEIR PARENTS ( It is not okay to keep secrets from parents. Not asking Mom or Dad = KEEPING A SECRET)
It is important to teach your child not to DO ANYTHING or GO ANYWHERE, with ANY ADULTS AT ALL, unless you have given them your permission first.
You never know if that person is a pedophile!!
My thoughts
Even if the person that the child goes off with is family, like their grandparents, I expect to be notified before they leave my visual boundaries as I know how stressful and frightful it can be if you suddenly can’t find your child within your radar. Your head fills up with wild thoughts of kidnap etc and it will send you into a state of panic. It cannot be assumed that the child does know how to take care of himself or the adult that he is with will take note of him.
Many a times I have seen some relatives of mind happily being engrossed in their shopping that they even neglect the fact that they have a child to mind. The child wanders off by himself without any supervision. If they are lucky nothing happens to the child and he doesn’t get into an accident or gets kidnapped during the 5-10 minutes that they are busy selecting items off a display shelf.
I believe in not taking chances but ensuring that my youngest remain on leash or in the pram/carrier when I have to go out with all the kids solo. They are also constantly reminded that they are not to go beyond my visual boundary or else they will risk getting severe punishment when we get home.
The kids are also taught to call out my full name and also made to memorize the Hand phone numbers of mine and R’s so that they will be able to contact us if needed.
Asking for permission before accepting things from anyone and also being truthful ( no secrets) is also practiced and encouraged.
I tell my kids that if an adult/big kid makes you feel uncomfortable they should move away and let me or R know IMMEDIATELY!!
I know that it can be a hair-raising experience for a kid to be lost and they do need to be taught how to react in such a situation.
I’m blessed that non of my kids have experienced being lost ( and I do hope that they will never have such an experience) but if they do unfortunately experience this I want them to be prepared.
How would you prepare your child for such a situation?
What has been on your mind lately? Do share your post by adding it to our linky below.
January 11, 2013 @ 6:09 pm
Reading posts like this is always a good reminder to discuss safety rules with our kids.
Thanks for sharing,
Kristina
January 11, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
I would teach my son to not keep secrets from me too. I want to create a relationship with open communication with him. And actually mean it when I say that he can talk to me or his Dad about anything. Stranger danger will also be a top lesson I would be teaching him.
January 11, 2013 @ 10:27 pm
I had a nightmare four years ago (around Christmas season) when my then three year old went out of the house at around ten o’clock at night!His older sisters were fighting him and in his 3 year old mind, he decided to go out and walk around. I was almost out of my mind when we started looking for him and we cant see him. After 30 minutes of looking for him in the dark streets, a taxicab pulled over with him inside! The good taxicab driver saw him walking alone and decided to look around for people looking for a little boy before bringing him to the police station. To this day, I am so thankful of that nice taxi driver. I wasnt even able to get his name or say thank u because I was at my wit’s end that time.
January 12, 2013 @ 12:23 am
I saw that same stream from Jamerican Spice (love her blog!!) and I agree with you, if the kids are going off with someone, even family, I want to know who and where, and for how long.
You have a lot of good tips here too, thank you for sharing them.
January 12, 2013 @ 1:23 am
Thank you for sharing this. I’m going to check out Jamerican Spice! It is such a scary thought! As a child I was very shy and would never leave my mother’s side. We have a two year old little boy and I’m always open to helpful tips like these!
January 12, 2013 @ 2:02 am
This is indeed one of the things I primed my son with especially if he walks or rides home from school! I decided to let him ride the jeepney so he would be better exposed to the world, although, all the kids in the jeepney also came from the High school campus of Ateneo De Zamboanga.
January 12, 2013 @ 7:06 am
We can’t be reminded to often about talking with our kids about safety. And that not all people in big bodies are grown up or safe even if they are in your own family.
January 12, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
We also taught all of our kids a “code” word that anyone, including family, had to use with them when we weren’t around. All six of our kids had unique words and believe me, it came in handy more than once
January 12, 2013 @ 11:32 pm
I always tell my children, don’t talk to strangers. Unless I’m with them. But if they are alone, never even tell their name. It’s a rough road for us parents. I always pray for their safety.
January 13, 2013 @ 12:19 am
I have read FB posts of kids being abducted in malls. Scary. Parents cannot really blink when they are with their kids at a mall or any public space.
January 13, 2013 @ 5:21 pm
I am still trying to figure out how to teach the boys about this without scare them about people in general. Great tips!