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Child Safety
What
are the most important things parents should tell children about safety?
- Always
check first with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult before
going anywhere, accepting anything, or getting into a car with anyone.
- Do
not go out alone. Always take a friend with when going places
or playing outside.
- Say
no if someone tries to touch you, or treats you in a way that
makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Get out of the
situation as quickly as possible.
- Tell
a parent, guardian, or trusted adult if you feel scared,
uncomfortable, or confused.
- There will always
be someone to help you, and you have the right to be safe.
What
should a parent know when talking to a child about safety?
- Don’t
forget your older children. Children aged 11 to17 are equally
at risk to victimization. At the same time you are giving your older
children more freedom, make sure they understand important safety rules
as well.
- Speak
to your children in manner that is calm and non-threatening.
Children do not need to be frightened to get the point across. In fact,
fear can thwart the safety message, because fear can be paralyzing to a
child.
- Speak
openly. Children will be less likely to come to you about
issues enshrouded in secrecy. If they feel that you are comfortable
discussing the subject at hand, they may be more forthcoming.
- Do
not teach “stranger danger.” Children do not have the same
understanding of “strangers” as adults; the concept is difficult for
them to grasp. And, based on what we know about those who harm
children, people known to children and/or their families actually
present greater danger to children than do “strangers.”
- Practice
what you preach. You may think your children understand your
message, but until they can incorporate it into their daily lives, it
may not be clearly understood. Find opportunities to practice “what if”
scenarios.
- Teach
your children that safety is more important than manners. In
other words, it is more important for children to get themselves out of
a threatening situation than it is to be polite. They also need to know
that it is okay to tell you what happened, and they won’t be
tattletales.
Is
"stranger danger"—that dangers to kids come from
strangers—really a myth?
Yes.
In the majority of cases, the perpetrator is someone the parents or
child
knows, and that person may be in a position of trust or responsibility
to the
child and family.
We
have learned that children do not have the same understanding of who a
stranger
is as an adult might; therefore, it is a difficult concept for the
child to
grasp.
It
is much more beneficial to children to help them build the confidence
and self-esteem they need to stay as safe as possible in any
potentially
dangerous situation they encounter rather than teaching them to be "on
the
look out" for a particular type of person.
What other advice can you offer parents about talking to kids?
Parents
should choose opportunities or “teachable” moments to reinforce safety
skills.
If an incident occurs in your community and your child asks you about
it, speak
frankly but with reassurance.
Explain
to your children that you want to discuss
the safety rules with them, so that they will know what to do if they
are ever
confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have “safety nets”
in
place, so that your children know there is always
someone who can help
them.
I
heard about child
tracking devices on a commercial. Is
this a good idea?
Consumers
need to understand that the first line of defense for families is
safety
education and line-of-sight
supervision of their children.
If
child distance
monitors are
used, understand what it can do and cannot do, that machines can fail,
and that
the child tracking device should be, if they choose, one element within
a
complete
safety program for their family.
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out Child Guard on my ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Lets-Stop-Crimecom
Or
Please
feel free to Contact Us
if you have any questions or concerns you would
like to discuss with us. We would love to hear from you. info@stopburglarfreecrimeinfo.com
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