“Watch Out For Strangers…” Or Not?
New Study Shows 93% of Children Know Their Abuser... Is "Stranger Danger" A Thing of The Past?
You heard it a million times before… “Watch out for Strangers,” Mom would say every time you left the house.
With new studies showing that 93% of children know their abuser, what is a modern day parent to do?
Here are suggestions from Safely Ever After:
| 1. | REMIND YOUR CHILDREN: SAFE GROWNUPS DON’T ASK KIDS FOR HELP. |
| 2. | NEVER LEAVE YOUNG CHILDREN UNSUPERVISED… NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE. |
| 3. | REPLACE THE WORD “STRANGER” WITH “TRICKY PERSON”: IT’S NOT WHAT SOMEONE LOOKS LIKE, IT’S WHAT THEY SAY OR WANT TO DO WITH A CHILD THAT MAKES THEM UNSAFE OR “TRICKY”. |
| 4. | A TRICKY PERSON CAN BE SOMEONE YOU KNOW WELL, DON’T KNOW AT ALL, OR KNOW JUST A LITTLE BIT… LIKE YOUR MAIL CARRIER OR THE ICE CREAM MAN. ANYONE WHO TRIES TO GET A CHILD TO BREAK THEIR SAFETY RULES OR HURT THEIR BODY IS NOT OKAY. |
| 5. | LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD. IF THEY DON’T WANT TO BE AROUND A PARTICULAR PERSON, SUCH AS A BABYSITTER, RELATIVE, OR FAMILY FRIEND, DON’T FORCE THEM. THEY MAY BE GETTING A “RED FLAG” SIGNAL THAT YOU ARE UNAWARE OF. |
| 6. | BE MINDFUL OF SETTINGS WHERE OLDER CHILDREN HAVE A LOT OF PRIVACY WITH YOUNGER CHILDREN. KEEP DOORS OPEN, ESPECIALLY DURING PLAYDATES. |
| 7. | PRACTICE PERSONAL SAFETY STRATEGIES WITH YOUR KIDS: WHAT WOULD THEY DO IF THEY WERE LOST IN A STORE? WHAT WOULD THEY SAY IF SOMEONE ASKED THEM FOR DIRECTIONS OR ASSISTANCE? |
| 8. | DO NOT WRITE YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON THE OUTSIDE OF ANY PERSONAL BELONGINGS SUCH AS A BACKPACK OR JACKET. |
| 9. | OLDER CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM WHENEVER AND WHEREVER POSSIBLE. |
| 10. | “THE UH-OH FEELING”: TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND LET YOUR CHILD KNOW IT’S OKAY FOR THEM TO TRUST THEIRS. |
| 11. | ESTABLISH A STRAIGHTFORWARD FAMILY RULE: NO SECRETS ALLOWED, ESPECIALLY IF IT INVOLVES “PRIVATE PARTS” OR “UH-OH” TOUCHES. IT’S ALWAYS OKAY TO TELL! |
| 12. | LET CHILDREN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES HOW THEY WANT TO EXPRESS AFFECTION. DO NOT FORCE THEM TO HUG OR KISS ANOTHER PERSON. |
| 13. | SPEND TIME WITH YOUR KIDS. CHILDREN WHO ARE STARVED FOR ATTENTION CAN BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO A PREDATOR’S TRICKS. |
| 14. | VOLUNTEER AT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL OR OTHER ACTIVITIES. KNOW WHO THE PEOPLE ARE WHO ARE INTERACTING WITH YOUR CHILDREN. |
| 15. | DEVELOP STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS WITH YOUR CHILD SO THAT THEY WILL FEEL SAFE COMING TO YOU IF SOMETHING IS BOTHERING THEM. |
| 16. | TEACH SAFETY CONCEPTS IN A LOVING, EASY-GOING MANNER. SCARE TACTICS CAN MAKE A CHILD FEARFUL AND ARE NOT NECESSARY. |
Did you talk to your kids about “Stranger Danger?” If so, at what age and how did you handle it?
Image via Tomatdk
