Got Mom Vibe?

by guest blogger Kim Estes

helping kids stay safe at Savvy Parents Safe Kids

Mom Vibe--we all have it. It is that instinctual feeling we may get when we are around certain people and places.  Sometimes you get a positive Mom Vibe about something. Other times, not.

Many Moms go happily along with a good Mom Vibe (ohhh, it just felt like the right time to buy that purse!) but sadly the Not So Good Mom Vibes don’t get the same reception. In fact, most adults ignore those inner “uh-oh” feelings they get when faced with an iffy situation. So what should you do when your inner Mom Vibe is sending you red-flags, giving you the heebie-jeebies or just a subtle feeling that something “just is not right”? 

Listen to it.

Law enforcement will tell you, if something does not feel “right” it probably isn’t. Go with that gut feeling!

With hyped up media stories about predators and abductions, parents are left scared and often too afraid to talk to their kids about personal safety.  Parents often don’t know how or when to talk to their kids about personal safety! Yet, one of the easiest personal safety strategies is to listen to your gut, your instinct, your “uh-oh” feeling, your Mom-vibe and to teach your kids how to listen to theirs.

Teaching your kids about personal safety is easier than you think and you don’t have to use scare tactics to do it!

Easy (non-scary) ways to start talking to your family about personal safety:

Help your kids identify their “uh-oh” feeling by talking about it! Just as you might say to your child “You look angry” or “You are so silly today!” you can also label the “Oh-oh” feeling. An example might be “You seemed nervous around that dog today. Did you have the uh-oh feeling about petting it? I know I did.” Helping your kids identify their “oh-oh” feeling and letting them know that other people get the uh-oh feeling too helps them to learn to identify the Uh-Oh feeling and respond to it. Let them know that if they get the Uh-Oh” feeling, they need to find their safe adult and talk about it.

Support them. When a normally chatty and socially outgoing child is suddenly apprehensive and clinging to your leg when they are in the presence of a particular person, do not force them to be affectionate or social. Your child may be picking up on a cue that you are missing.

Advocate for your child.  If your inner Mom Vibe is sending out a warning signal to you, listen to it. If that person sitting at the park, the new camp counselor, or the idea of allowing your child to play at a particular persons house, is suddenly setting off your mom Vibe alarm, pay attention to it. Don’t send your kid off to play at someone’s house or leave them in someone cares if something does not “feel right.”

Listening to your inner mom-vibe is not always convenient, and certainly can be awkward. Learning to listen to your inner Mom-Vibe is important, so don’t ignore it! 

(c) 2011, Kim Estes. All Rights Reserved.

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