Stranger Danger: Teaching Abduction Safety to Children

Stranger Danger is one of the most important lessonsstranger and have child say no.
for children to learn. We all know the catch phases likeWhat's the Secret Password?
"Don't talk to strangers", "Never get into a car with aIn the case of an emergency, create a family
stranger", and "Don't take candy from a stranger." Thepassword that only you and your child know. A friend
phases are simple reminders for kids, but they canmay need to pick up your child at school or an activity.
make the child insecure and fearful. How can weHow does your child know that you asked them to
teach about stranger danger without scaring them orpick them up and it's not a trick? Yes, you got it, the
give them nightmares? Here's some quick tips tofamily password. The child asks the friend for the
keeping your child safe.family password and if they know it, the child knows
What is a Stranger?that you did send them and everything's okay. Don't
The first thing to teach children is the differenceforget to change the password once it is used.
between a friend and a stranger. Statistics show thatImportant Information your child should know
casual acquaintances perpetuate most abductions.Teach your child some vital information will assist if
Children wrongly assume that because the parentthey get lost. You should quiz them periodically to
says "hi" to the clerk at the grocery store, that theyensure they remember it. Give them lots of praise and
are friends. Quiz your child in the difference between aattention for answering correctly. The vital information
stranger and a friend. Ask them if… a teacherfor the child to know is your full home address, home
is a friend or stranger, how about the cashier atphone number, both parent's full names, and cell phone
Blockbuster, or your neighbor that you have know fornumbers. Many kids are shy around other adults so it's
5 years, etc.? This drill is an excellent start.important to build their confidence so they can repeat
Saying No to Adultsthe information to a police officer or another person
We teach our children to respect adult and listen totrying to help.
them so most children have difficulty say no to adults.Know thy enemy
Child Predators exploit this tendency to abduct childrenAwareness is power in abduction safety. Parents
by telling them to get into a car with a stern voice. Theshould know if any child predators live in their area.
stern voice makes the child feel they did somethingParents can go to to search for child predators with
wrong and comply with the demands.prior conviction in your area.
Teaching your child, that it is okay to say no toTim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan
strangers and that they ALWAYS need to askKarate and owns Maximum Impact Karate located in
parent's permission first before meeting stranger'sDublin, Pennsylvania.
demands. Parents can role-play the parts of the