You and your child meet hundreds of strangers every day on the street, in shopping centers, clinics, cafes, etc. Seemingly ordinary and even very nice people can in fact turn out to be criminals. Nowadays, cases have become frequent when children are abducted directly from under the nose of their parents, as soon as the kids are lost sight of. Moreover, incidents when children are taken away by force are less common than when they themselves follow a stranger. Children are very trusting in nature, they are easily negotiated, attractive offers, and if a stranger informs that he is a friend of his parents, they completely agree to follow the criminal.
No matter how vigilant your parents are, it is impossible to constantly monitor the child.
Therefore, it is so important to tell the child how to relate to strangers, what to do if you are taken away, persuaded and asked for something.
1. Who is a stranger
Similar topics for conversation can already be raised when your baby is three years old, even at such a tender age, children are able to perceive this information.
Tell the child in detail who the stranger is. Often, in the minds of children, a person who wishes you harm, is ugly, has a severe, suspicious appearance. Kids take this stereotype from fairy tales and cartoons, and indeed, what a fabulous villain seems to be an ordinary person.
You must explain to the child that a stranger is any person that the baby does not know. If someone else’s uncle or aunt says that the child simply forgot it, then this is still a stranger.
Teach your child, under no circumstances, to get into cars, not to follow strangers and help them, and even better not to talk at all without your presence, but to immediately hide from sight.
Normal adults do not need anything from young children, and they themselves will not pester with questions without the presence of the baby's parents.
Do not scare the child too much so that he does not shy away from every person on the street.
2. Discuss the scenarios
Not every adult can accurately determine a dangerous situation and a person, let alone a child. Therefore, it is best to discuss in advance with the crumbs which situations are potentially dangerous and what actions he needs to take immediately.
- Offer to ride a car. Under no circumstances should you get in cars, immediately run in the opposite direction and hide from sight in a crowded place.
- Go buy a gift, help do something, show something interesting. Refuse and leave quickly.
- Forcibly dragged into a car or other place. Forget about education and morality. Scream loudly, beat, bite.
- They say that his mother is waiting for him there, or his mother needs help. Do not go, hide.
Beat the situation with toys clearly, find out how intelligibly you explained everything to the child.
3. To whom to run
Tell the child that in case of danger, problems or when the baby is lost, he should contact a police officer, security, for example, in a shopping center, a seller in a store, or best of all, another mother with a child.
When the baby has an idea of people who can help in a difficult situation, this will save time without spending it thinking, “what to do” and “where to run”.
4. Tracking
Teach your child to run in the opposite direction when detecting him being followed by a car, or any hint of it, this will give the baby time to turn around. If a stranger is watching the baby without a car, let the child say it out loud, if he is in a public place, he says: “Why do you follow me, I don’t know you.” Criminals do not need the extra attention of people. If the baby in a deserted place is better to run and hide.
5. Other people's attention
Tell the child how he can attract attention and scare away a stranger. Let him wonder out loud why a stranger uncle should pester a child, let him push goods from a store shelf, or make another noise.
Say that if someone is trying to grab him, it is important not just to shout: “Leave me alone, let go”, but to vote: “I do not know you, you are not my dad.” Tantrums and the roar of children do not surprise adults, so you need to make it clear to others that the baby first sees the person who drags him.
6. Who can touch you
Explain clearly to the child that only close people and the doctor can touch him, especially in places such as hips, stomach, buttocks, genitals, chest. Say that he must tell his parents about any such attempts. Teach you not to keep secret from your parents if someone asks you not to tell anything about your body. This will prevent sexual violence.
7. Codeword as secret agents
Create secret words with your child at the time of danger. These should not be strange little-used words, codes should fit well into ordinary speech.
Let the child know some code words in case he has already been taken, and he will answer your call. And also in case, for example, if someone offers to carry him to mom. If a person cannot name the code, let the baby immediately run and call for help.
Explain to the baby how important it is to always be in touch with parents so that at the slightest danger they can call them. Let it become his habit to inform you of his movements, intentions and plans.
Memo to parents
- Make it a rule to always know where your child is, to teach a child to always ask for your approval before going somewhere.
- Help learn your phone number by heart.
- Show where in your area it’s not safe to walk.
- Teach your child to trust intuition if something seems strange and suspicious to him, let him leave a dangerous place or leave a suspicious person.
- Teach you not to be shy once again screaming or running away.
- Do not wear clothes and accessories with his name on the child, this will make it easier for criminals to approach the baby. When strangers know the name and surname of your child, it is much easier for him to trust them.
Do not make it easier for strangers to leave their names on personal items. - Teach your child to protect himself, tell me where to hit if you are dragged by force into a car.
- Encourage communication with other children, say that it is safer to go with friends.
- In every possible way, try to arouse trust and friendship in your child, let him feel your support and care.
We also read:
- 10 precautions that parents should educate their child
- 10 questions that a child should not even answer to neighbors
- How to teach a child to talk with strangers on the street
- A stranger sticks to a child - what should children do?
Rules for dealing with strangers
I also need to necessarily, I think, touch on the topic with children that they cannot be revealed to strangers if the child is suddenly left alone at home. Surely !. This is also very important.
In an emergency, when strangers stick to the child, he may just be confused and forget about the rules. Therefore, I teach my document: if-what, then just scream to attract attention. I was even advised by the police when a robber attacked me. And yet, so that the child less arouses the interest of strangers / suspicious people, you do not need to buy expensive gadgets for him, in our time it is very dangerous.
Unfortunately, in our time, crimes related to children are no longer a rarity. I personally constantly conduct educational talks with my daughter about the rules of behavior with strangers, but I’m afraid that this is of little use. I allow walking only in the yard, so that at any moment I can see her from the window, I installed a special application on the phone that shows her location .. But for some reason, whenever she walks without me, thoughts about the bad appear.
Pff, own example on what? We don’t even come to the door if someone rings. I ask the child if he is expecting anyone. Not. I don’t wait either. So why even go to the door?
Previously, I approached, looked through the peephole, asked who and what was needed, but all the while stupid advertising (or something under her guise).
In general, you need to be familiar with your neighbors, know them by sight, and so that they know your children, so that children can turn to them for help while their parents are not at home.