In recent news headlines, we have heard of child abduction cases where the child has been discovered alive after many years of being held captive and terrified by their abductors. This is a horrifying fear of most parents. While we cannot guarantee 100% safety success, how do we teach our children to stay safe?
Stay in a Group – Teach your child to never wander off alone. Kids who are isolated are a much easier target for a predator.
Code Word – With the same idea that we go immediately to the basement to take cover when we hear a tornado siren, teach your children a code word that means they come running back to you without question when this word is used. Recently, a friend passed onto me that she had visited a water park and met a woman who teaches her children that when she says something to the effect of “All my puppies come here now!” Her kids are to stop what they’re doing & come running to her without question because she will only use this phrase when there is a perceived danger. For her, it works well. If you want to shorten your code word or be creative, feel free to use any word or phrase you choose as long as you don’t use it when there is no danger & you teach your children to immediately stop what they’re doing and come running to you without question when this word or phrase is heard.
There is a great DVD out that every child should watch, called The Safeside. They teach things like knowing who your safeside adult is, make a list of adults you trust with your child and instruct them to never leave with someone who is not on your list of safeside adults.
Cell Phone or Child Detector – Buy a cell phone for your child. Don’t worry about the expense as there are numerous plans for phones to only be used for emergencies. But, some missing persons have been located based on a signal, which is called a ping that a cell phone gave off.
Nametags are a No-No – Make sure your child’s clothing, backpacks, etc. do not have their name visible and easy to read. This can sometimes not be avoided in situations like summer camp when they are all in a group and have nametags around their necks. But, as a general rule, do not put your child’s name on their clothing or accessories for all to see. And, when you pick them up from daycare or church nursery, etc., remove their nametag before heading out into public.
Kick and Scream – Teach your child that if someone ever does approach them that makes them feel uncomfortable to get away and seek a group of people, friends or an adult they do know and trust. If they are grabbed by an adult, make sure they understand that this is the time it is o.k. to kick and scream and carry on with as much noise and commotion that they can muster.
Internet Safety – Make sure that in addition to setting up parental controls on internet browsers, you also are in the same room with your child if they are ever online. You cannot tell your child enough to never give away personal information to anyone who asks them if they do not know who that person is, even if they think they do know the person because they say they are someone they are not or post a picture of someone other than their own to lure innocent viewers into trusting and giving away information such as where they live, what their name is, where they attend school, etc. – Any information that would allow a person to find your child should be avoided.
Overall, express to your children that this world is full of a lot of people who will not hurt them, and they can trust. But, there are some people they should not trust and want to hurt children. Since, we cannot tell from looking at someone what is inside their hearts and minds, we need to be smart about how we act in public and on the internet.
