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Keeping Your Children Safe
Your children are most unlikely to be harmed by an ill-intentioned adult. It is, nevertheless, important to ensure that in the event of them being lost or threatened, your children know how to take care of themselves. This is a summary of an article that appeared in The Seattle Times in August 2005. These safety tips for parents and guardians are taken from guidelines issued by the US Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
* Know where your children are at all times . Know your children's friends and be clear with your children about places and homes they may and may not visit. Your children may not like it, but they will get used to it.
* Practice basic safety skills with your children . During an outing to a shopping centre or park, have your children practice using pay telephones, going to the toilets with a friend and locating adults who can help if your child becomes separated from you. ( Customer Service desk in a store, an adult in uniform, a woman with young children are possibilities.) Make sure your children know their address and telephone number. Teaching these lessons can be approached as a game. Try not to make your child fearful.
* Do not confuse your children with the concept of “strangers”. Danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a stranger.
* Listen to your children. Pay attention if they say they don't want to be with someone or to go somewhere. Be sensitive to any changes in a child's behaviour or attitude.
* Notice when anyone shows one or all of your children a great deal of attention or begins giving them gifts. Talk with your children, find out why the person is acting this way. Confront the behaviour of anyone towards your children that makes you uneasy.
* Teach your children they have the right to say “no” to any unwelcome, uncomfortable or confusing touch or actions by others and teach them to get out of those situations as quickly as possible. If avoidance is not an option, children should be taught to kick, scream and resist.
* Screen babysitters and care-givers.
* Never leave children unattended in a car.
* Be involved in your children's activities. As an active participant, you'll have better opportunities to observe how adults in charge interact with your children.
Your children are most unlikely to be harmed by an ill-intentioned adult. It is, nevertheless, important to ensure that in the event of them being lost or threatened, your children know how to take care of themselves. This is a summary of an article that appeared in The Seattle Times in August 2005. These safety tips for parents and guardians are taken from guidelines issued by the US Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
* Know where your children are at all times . Know your children's friends and be clear with your children about places and homes they may and may not visit. Your children may not like it, but they will get used to it.
* Practice basic safety skills with your children . During an outing to a shopping centre or park, have your children practice using pay telephones, going to the toilets with a friend and locating adults who can help if your child becomes separated from you. ( Customer Service desk in a store, an adult in uniform, a woman with young children are possibilities.) Make sure your children know their address and telephone number. Teaching these lessons can be approached as a game. Try not to make your child fearful.
* Do not confuse your children with the concept of “strangers”. Danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a stranger.
* Listen to your children. Pay attention if they say they don't want to be with someone or to go somewhere. Be sensitive to any changes in a child's behaviour or attitude.
* Notice when anyone shows one or all of your children a great deal of attention or begins giving them gifts. Talk with your children, find out why the person is acting this way. Confront the behaviour of anyone towards your children that makes you uneasy.
* Teach your children they have the right to say “no” to any unwelcome, uncomfortable or confusing touch or actions by others and teach them to get out of those situations as quickly as possible. If avoidance is not an option, children should be taught to kick, scream and resist.
* Screen babysitters and care-givers.
* Never leave children unattended in a car.
* Be involved in your children's activities. As an active participant, you'll have better opportunities to observe how adults in charge interact with your children.
