When the day arrives that young children enter situations not under the direct supervision of parents, it is time to start talking to them about stranger danger. Instilling a healthy sense of caution around others will go a long way in keeping them safe and helping them look for signs of potential threats. The conversation about not talking to people they don't know needs to be part of an ongoing dialogue at home. Follow this guidance when addressing this very real and scary issue with little ones ready to take their first steps toward independence.
Keeping Your Children Safe From Strangers
A parent's worst nightmare is the thought that a stranger could cause harm to a child. Unfortunately, this is a very realistic fear that comes to fruition all too often. For this reason, it is of upmost importance to talk to your children from a very young age about all the ways to stay safe. As much as you would like to be their guardian angels, there will be many times when you are not their to protect them. These situations could be only momentary, like when your back is turned in a store. Or, they could be for extended periods of time when you leave your children in the care of a neighbor, friend, or babysitter. Here are some key pointers to talk to your children about starting right now.
This is by far the most important tip. There are some very obvious strangers that children may easily identify, like a passerby on the street, playground, or store. But don't forget to talk about strangers that appear in familiar, comfortable settings. These are the people who are more difficult for kids to identify as a potential threat. For example, a child could be at a friend's house for a sleepover when a neighbor, relative, or someone else is visiting. While you don't necessarily want to raise your child to believe that everyone is dangerous, you do at least need to help them understand some of these grey areas.
Again, it's important to be very clear and concise about all the different places where are child needs to be weary of his or her surroundings. Reinforce the importance of not straying from a caretaker when out in public places where there are a lot of people like baseball parks, malls, amusement parks, and other large venues Cater the conversation to include all the places you take your child so they can relate to what you are saying.
No matter how carefully or responsibly your child behaves, he or she will inevitably be in a pickle from time to time. This is just life. However, by giving your child detailed advice on how to navigate these situations, adverse consequences can be mitigated or avoided altogether. For example, if your children get separated in a store or other public venue, make sure they know to seek help from an employee rather than a regular person walking around. This is one of those situations where kids need to differentiate between types of strangers and which ones are probably safest. Another problematic situation is if a child is at a friend's house and is uncomfortable by the behavior of a friend or relative visiting. If this happens, advice your child to fake a stomach ache and call a parent for a ride home.
Finding the right way to communicate the danger in talking to strange new people can be tough. There are so many scenarios in a child's life when it is perfectly safe and appropriate to talk and interact with others who are unfamiliar. And yet other times little ones need to demonstrate extreme caution when identifying warning signs that an individual may want to hurt them. Differentiating between all the circumstances is not always easy to explain. Reading children's books about stranger danger is a great strategy to introduce a variety of scenarios that little ones can relate to their own lives.
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