Presented by Kent Estes
I know you are teaching your child, child safety tips. You must also teach them there might come a time when they need help from someone. There is a difference in your child asking for help and a stranger asking them for help. Nothing is fool proof. All We can do is teach them and give them the right information.
We need to make sure that we teach our kids, if they become lost, that they know there is a difference between them asking for help and a stranger asking them for help. We stress to kids not to talk to strangers, but there might be a time when they need to ask for help from a stranger. A Time when they become lost and need help from others. There are times when anyone could use help from a stranger.Ask another Mom for help if you become lost
As a Parent you need to instruct your kids where to go and who to ask for help, if they become lost. Another woman with kids is usually a safe place. Most Child Pedophiles are men. Women usually are not child pedophiles and when they are, they are usually helping a man. If your child becomes lost, teach your kids to ask for help from another woman with kids. There is no such thing as a perfect plan, but there might come a time where your kids need help from stranger. They need to know where to go for help.
Ask a Police Officer or Store Employee for help
Teach your kids to look for a Police Officer or for a person of authority, such as a store or park employee. There is no such thing as a fail proof system, but kids need to be able to know the difference in someone approaching them and your kids approaching someone for help.It is OK to ask a Stranger for help
I saw a kid on television who was lost, it was a reenactment. The Child was lost in the woods. The child was so scared of strangers, she was hiding from her rescuers. She almost died from exposure because she did not know the difference from her asking for help and someone asking her for help. There may be a time when a child needs help. A child needs to learn, if they become lost, to ask for help, to as many people as possible and not to leave with a single person. A Child needs to know that you love them and you would never give them up or stop looking for them.
How is a child asking a stranger for help different from a stranger asking a child for help?
This is a critical distinction to teach your child. When your child seeks help — approaching someone because they are lost or in trouble — they are in control of the interaction. When a stranger approaches your child to offer help, rides, or attention, that is a very different situation and your child should be cautious. Teaching children this difference keeps them from being too afraid to get help when they genuinely need it, while still staying alert to danger.
Who should a lost child ask for help?
The safest choices are a uniformed police officer, a store or park employee in an identifiable uniform or vest, or a woman who is with children of her own. These are generally the most reliable people for a lost child to approach. Teach your child specifically to look for these three types of people rather than approaching any random adult.
What is the most important rule for a child to follow when asking a stranger for help?
Ask many people — not just one — and do not leave with a single person. A child who is lost should call out for help, approach people in visible public areas, and wait for parents or authorities to locate them rather than walking off alone with any individual who offers to help. Staying in a public place and staying visible dramatically increases the chance of a safe reunion.
Why might a child be too afraid to ask a stranger for help even in an emergency?
When stranger-danger lessons are taught without nuance, some children become so fearful of all unknown adults that they will hide or avoid help even when they are in real danger — like the child who nearly died of exposure in the woods because she hid from rescuers. The goal is to teach children to be appropriately cautious, not paralyzed by fear. Reassure your child that you would always want them to ask for help when they are truly lost or in trouble.
To learn more about Kent visit his full profile on Squidoo at http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Retired-Cop and learn how you can receive a free Child Safety Kit at http://www.squidoo.com/pollyklaas..yourchildsafetykits/
