As a parent, the safety of your children should always be of paramount importance. No matter what, your kids safety should always come first.
Recently, there have been various failed abductions across the country. Because of this, many parents have become incredibly nervous about safety. In light of this, we thought that we would put together a simple guide to the best ways you can keep your little ones safe from abductors.
To find out more about how you can keep your kids safe, here are a few tips to follow:
Talk to your children about stranger danger
Don’t just presume that your children know about stranger danger, they might know the term but be unaware of what it means. Sit down as a family and talk about what stranger danger is, talking will help the whole family to understand the danger.
Explain to your child that while most people are nice, some sadly, are not. Explain that if anyone who they don’t know, or don’t know well, tries to get them to go with them, that they should refuse.
Be careful of what you say
While you want to teach your kids about stranger safety, what you don’t want to do is scare them. If you use the wrong tactics, you could leave your children feeling scared of everyone and living in constant fear. So it’s important to be careful about how you talk about strangers.
You want to make your kids aware of the dangers out there, but at the same time, you don’t want to scare them. Make sure that whenever you talk about stranger danger, that you also mention that not everyone is bad, only some people.
Be aware of Internet and smartphone safety
Did you know that kids can be contacted via the internet or through smartphones by people you don’t know? Abductors can get hold of your phone details and use your personal phone to get in touch with your children.
You might be shocked to hear this, but try to stay calm. There are plenty of ways you can prevent this from happening by taking steps to protect your phone and your children. There are lots of apps like the phone book app, CallerSmart that allows you to protect the numbers and contacts on your phone. Preventing strangers from being able to get their hands on them.
Teach your kids what to do is they get lost
When kids get lost, they are at their most vulnerable. They are feeling scared and panicked and can become easily confused, and are more likely to go off with a stranger.
It’s important that you explain to your children that even when lost, going off with a stranger is not a good idea. Instead, tell your children that if they are ever lost, they should find the nearest store clerk or policeman.
The more you educate your children about what they should do if they are approached by a stranger, the better. It might not be something you want to think about, but as a parent, it’s something that you have to deal with.
