Staying away and not talking to strangers was ingrained in a number of people’s minds as a child. Stranger danger is real and needs to be taken seriously. Child abductions happen in even the most affluent areas of a city. As a parent, nothing worries you more than a person hurting your child in any way. There are so many tricks that are used to lure children into bad situations whether it is ice cream or a cute animal. It is imperative that you teach your child about avoiding strangers no matter how harmless they might seem. The following tips will help talk to your children about stranger danger.
Schools Can Help
Sending your child to the right preschool can be very important. Infant child care might not cover stranger danger but they can sure try. Your children might be friendly by nature which is great but not in the case of a stranger. Schools are experts at teaching children so allow them to do this. You should also teach your children at home but it might resonate more coming from their favorite teacher. If the preschool you send your child to covers this, consider yourself privileged as not all schools cover it, even though it is one of the most important lessons that can be learned.
Be Careful How You Word Your Instructions
You do not want to intrigue your children about strangers so you need to word your warnings carefully. People offering fun might seem nice and that is not what children consider dangerous strangers. Talk to your children about avoiding anyone offering them something too good to be true. If anyone asks them to do something you told them not to, you should tell your child to be suspicious of them. Tell your children that they should never have a secret with someone they don’t know. A number of predators tell children it will be their secret which should be a red flag to your child.
Be Clear in Your Rules
Be extremely clear when making rules and tell your child they won’t be in trouble if they tell on a stranger. Tell them as long as you are present that they can talk to people they do not know. Under no other circumstances should they talk to someone without you or another family member present. You should also let them know they should never go off with anyone unless you have told them it is allowed. At times, a predator could be someone that they know.
Create Situations They Would Encounter in Real Life
Role-playing can be a great way to create situations that could occur. Try to go over as many as possible as they will know exactly what to do. You can make these scenarios fun but tell your child if anyone ever grabs them to struggle and bite them if they have to. They should also scream to alert anyone in the area of what is happening.
Talking to your child about strangers is one of the most important lessons you can teach them. Make sure this is something that you go over regularly.