Prevent Kidnapping Of Your Child By Reinforcing Confidence Rather Than Fear
We've all been told how we should instruct our children not to talk to strangers
in order to prevent them from being snatched by someone with an evil agenda. But really, do we want to interject terror in our children of every stranger? Occasionally it is a stranger who can help them if they are lost or injured.Instilling boldness in a child with affirmations helps them to be ready with a plan if they are ever encountered by anyone who makes them feel nervous. Instead of being terrified of and recoiling from every stranger, encourage them to follow their gut feelings when confronted by a stranger.
Help them memorize their address and phone number, including area code, should they ever become lost or separated from their family or even a babysitter. And if old enough to remember their parents' work numbers, they should learn those also.
When I was a kid, life seemed less complicated and safer. Our parents didn't fret so much about where we were or who we were chatting with online. Life is different today. Children ought to be with a reliable friend or relative when they are away from home. Parents should know where their children are at all times and kids need to be urged to tell their parents where they are going, not because the parents are being meddlesome but because the parents are by all means responsible for the guardianship of their children.
If a child does get lost or needs assistance, he or she needs to know that certain people are okay to contact, such as shop owners or police officers. They need to learn to be bold and ask for assistance from one of these individuals rather than be too frightened to talk to anyone because they have been taught never to talk to adults they don't know.
Parents should have an open line of communication with their kids and take them in all seriousness if they express concern about feeling uncomfortable with certain individuals or in certain situations. Children can pick up on unsuitable behavior within a relationship and must feel safe in sharing that with their parents.
Fingerprinting children is not necessarily the most desirable preventive system. Actually it can frighten kids. They'll wonder why they need to be fingerprinted. It may instill a fear in them that they will surely be kidnapped some day and this will be the only way of determining their identity. This can also be scary to parents.
It could be that the most effective form of prevention is to build confidence in your kids, instructing them when it is necessary to scream, when to say "no", who to turn to or run to for assistance and provide them with a personal alarm to activate if they feel threatened. This alarm is shockingly loud and will attract attention to their situation and surely scare off any possible child snatcher.
Parents should also continue to stress the seriousness of the safety issue with their kids as they move up through middle school and high school. Kids sometimes get an attitude as they get into high school that they are indestructible or that they are prepared to take on the world and might not realize how vulnerable they actually are. As stated by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, most children who are snatched by non-family members are age 12 or older and the largest number are girls. This is the age when they should positively be encouraged to carry a personal alarm.
Parents should also keep a recent individual photo of their kids, perhaps a school photo, easily accessible. If a child has disappeared, a good picture of him or her is presumably the greatest tool in helping to locate the child.
And of course reporting a missing child immediately to authorities is the most crucial course of action. The Amber Plan, which is a national broadcasting program for missing children, will saturate the county of the lost boy or girl with pictures and information on highway reader boards and through news sources and other media. This is the quickest way to make everyone in the state aware of the situation and encourage them to be on the lookout for the missing child.
It is truly sad and shocking how many children disappear every year. In summary, here are 5 methods of keeping your children out of the grips of a sick kidnapper:
1. Raise every child with self-assurance.
2. Teach them to trust their intuition.
3. Give them tools such as a personal alarm.
4. Build a strong relationship of trust with your children.
5. Enroll them in a self-defense class.
Remember, fear incapacitates but courage mobilizes.
by: Karleen Lindsey Help Your Child Realize His Career Dream By Following His Passion How to Help Your Child in College Search The Best Oximeter Used For Children How Can Your Kid Reap The Benefits Of An English Tutor? What is Child Therapy? Types of Teenage Therapy Child Discipline - Alternatives To Saying No Do You Struggle to Get Your Child to Listen? Who Developed Golf Courses Have Eighteen Holes Tired of Temper Tantrums? 3 Ways to Change Your Child's Behavior What causes psoriasis in children? Boys Gifts – The Top 5 Christmas Gifts For Kids Let Your Kids Fly - On The Wings Of A Butterfly