‘STRANGER DANGER’
Summer is a time of adventure and outdoor activities and it is a good time to teach your child safety tips around strangers.
It is important to realize that children who have been shown pictures of grandmotherly, or pretty women, or kindly looking men, do not often consider these people strangers. Children only thought of the pictures that were made to look scary or dangerous as ‘strangers’. Here is a link for a quiz for children to recognize ‘strangers’: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/parentingquizzes/l/bl_strngdngr.htm
Also, a child is much more likely to be hurt by someone they know rather than a stranger, so it’s important to teach them ‘safe’ boundaries. i.e… When a relative/friend comes to visit, do not force your child to kiss or touch the person, unless they want to. They can be polite to adults, say hello without allowing physical contact. There are many ways to politely greet another person such as a hand shake, a wave, or a high five. If the child feels comfortable with the person/friend, they will naturally go to that person. ALLOW them to politely decline physical contact. This way they learn that there are times when it is okay to just say No to touching.
Teach your child to be polite, but that they have the right to say no, if something makes them really uncomfortable.
As far as strangers go, teach them the basics. Let them be aware not to speak to, go with, or accept gifts/candy from ANYONE they don’t know, even if that person is beautiful, kind looking. Let them know that it’s okay if you are with them to wave to or smile at a stranger in the grocery store, etc, but that if you are NOT present, it is important for them not to interact with strangers.
Let them know if they ever get ‘grabbed’ that it is important to make lots of noise; falling on the ground, kicking, screaming, fighting as hard as they can is okay in such a situation.
Also let them know that if someone threatens to hurt their parents or loved ones, if they say anything, that it is only an empty threat, and that their loved ones will be safe and protected from the ‘abuser.’
Practice scenarios with them at home. Giving them cues, i.e. . . . verbally saying “Will you help me look for my lost puppy?” And show what they should do. You can make a game of it, and have them ask you to help look for the puppy and you can run away screaming, so they laugh but get the message. Don’t just do this once, practice makes perfect!
Be calm and explain that the likelihood of this happening to them is small, but that it does not hurt to be aware just in case. Do not let your fear frighten them. Let them know that worrying won’t keep them safe, but knowing how to act can help protect them. An excellent video for children on Stranger Danger is produced by The Safe Side. It teaches about stranger danger without being scary and is presented in a fun, light manner. For more information you can go to http://www.thesafeside.com/?gclid=COCsgq3t0akCFcFo4Aodykt_6g
On a final note: If the child is lost in a store, let them know it is okay to go to a register and ask a store clerk for help, and if they are lost in the woods on a camping trip or something, that a fireman, policewoman, may be trying to help them. There have been cases where a child is so afraid of talking to strangers, that they will hide from ‘rescuers’ unless it is someone they know.
