Teaching Children About Safety in Today’s World

by Guest Blogger Kim Estes

Helping parents keep kids safe at http://www.savvyparentssafekids.com/

Many of us are currently raising or working with young kids (or both!). Safety is always on our mind. Yet the concept of teaching kids about personal safety can sometimes seem tricky. Yet, it doesn’t have to be! Here are some things you may (or may not) know. Did you know that the concept of “stranger danger” does not work? Kids don’t get it and childcare experts agree, it is not an effective strategy for teaching children personal safety skills.

So how can we teach children about “stranger smarts”? Well, the good news is that I have some simple tools to help you get the conversation rolling and how to keep it going! Personal safety is a life skill and as we all know, life skills are not learned in a day (Potty Training and learning to ride a bike are good examples too).  We all know that just when we think we have gotten our kids to master one skill, the rules change.

Prevention education is the same way. The things that we teach our kids in regard to personal safety at age 2 and 5 will be very different than what we teach them at age 12 and 15. The most important thing is to keep the conversation going throughout their life and help them build a solid foundation to stand on in regard to personal safety strategies. We are here to help you get started.

 When teaching children, especially about personal safety, it is critical to teach them in a calm and non scary manner. Never frighten them. If they are in line at the grocery store talking to a “stranger”, stay with your child, and let them talk. You are there to observe and can stop any inappropriate behavior from the other adult. Your child is just testing his social skills out and let him know it is OK to talk to new people, as long as he has his "safe grown up" with him. Do not get angry with him for “talking to strangers” this only frightens your child. In fact, if your child is ever in need of help, they may indeed have to reach out to a stranger (a mom with kids or a cash register person) to ask for help. This chatty phase often ends but you can use it as a way to start introducing good safety skills.

Have fun with your kids, allow them to meet and interact with new people. A chatty kid is not considered a "good secret keeper" and that might just make them a less likely target for predators... since predators rely on secrets so they can get away with their crimes.

(c) 2011, Kim Estes. All rights reserved.

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