Here’s a question that came up on the Facebook page recently,
Should We Still Be Talking About Stranger Danger?
Posted by Life of Dad on Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Colby Jerome Davis: I have zero tips! I started teaching my kids about strangers and now my 4 yo waves at everyone and says “hi stranger!”, so I need help as well!
David Tate: I feel it’s important to teach children that not all strangers are bad. In fact, if the child is lost or in need of help, it is a stranger that will help them. I am training my children that if they get lost, they find a mommy with kids and go say ” please help me find my mommy and daddy.”
James Geszvain: Or a daddy with kids…we’re all about equality here!
Jake Lee: “Stranger Danger” is a myth that needs to be eliminated. 90% of offenders against children are somebody the child (and often parents) knows, loves and trusts. You need to teach about Body Safety, that they have the control of their bodies, to say no if they don’t like someone touching them, or what they are doing, and they need to have 3 adults they know will help if anything happens. It’s important to start these conversations early and have them often.
There are a lot of programs out there to help. The Mama bear effect, national children’s alliance, darkness to light, RadKids. They’re all there to help teach parents and children how to be safe.
Don’t avoid these conversations because they may seem awkward, it is some of the most important you can have with your children.
Rye N Ginger: Yea don’t do it. Crime experts are advising parents not to teach this to children anymore. Some have even gone as far as to say it has caused more harm than it prevented. This is due to the fact that children are significantly more likely to be abducted or harmed by someone they know. Try this link http://www.kidsmartz.org/StrangerDanger
Evan Taylor: Look out for tricky people that need help from children. Tricky questions like can you help me find my dog? A stranger that needs help from a child is not ok. But if they are a trusted family member or friend then they need to know they can be trusted. Read up and research all about good ways to educate trust in early childhood and decide what you think will work best for your kids.
Mike Workman: Create a “Safety Word” for yourself and your child. Therefore, when someone tries to get your child to come with them, and they don’t know the safety word that only you and your child use, then your child would then know that it’s in fact a potentially harmful stranger. Also, only tell someone else who’s picking your kid up or something in that nature the safety word so when they tell your child the right word, they’ll know it’s safe to go with them. It’s what I did with my 2 kids.
Michael Maynard: I always show my kids when we see a police officer that go to them for help and talk to them making it feel safe, we also teach our kids to go into shops and ask the till person for help. Little things I feel should help like this and we also teach that if they don’t feel safe to just scream loud and dry for help. Some of this may not be what everyone agrees with but parenting is about learning and teaching. Hope it helps.