As a parent, you know that there will come a day when your child will grow up and be ready to become more independent and ready to take on the world by themselves. It starts out with small acts of independence such as not wanting to hold your hand while crossing the street or the first time they want to go to a friend’s house alone.
It’s your job to prepare them with protecting themselves and teach them the importance of what is right and wrong in certain situations and giving them the right tools to navigate through different circumstances.
Keep reading to learn some important child safety tips and how to best handle different situations.
1. Learn Who to Trust
When your children are at a young age you should begin teaching them about who they can and can’t trust. This way if they are ever in a situation where they are in trouble, they will instinctively know who they can go to for help.
If your child ever finds themselves lost or can’t find you they should know that they need to look for a police officer, store or event employee, or even a mom and dad that has children of their own. You should explain to them that not all strangers are bad but not all strangers are good.
There are many warning signs that a child can learn to be aware of, for instance, strangers who might be trying to lure them into a car. Teach your children that if an adult is telling them they need their help to find something, a lost pet or friend, that is a warning sign not to trust them. Adults do not need the help of a child in most situations.
2. Body Safety
Your children should be able to decide if they are comfortable giving hugs or kissing others, even if it is with a close friend or family member. They shouldn’t feel obligated to have this type of intimacy with others and gives them the ability to make that choice for themselves.
This allows them to have the confidence to listen to their bodies and tell others no when their touching makes them feel uncomfortable. This is important in the event they are ever in a situation where a stranger or family member is being inappropriate and they need to tell someone about it.
By teaching your child to be comfortable with their feelings they can be open to you about it and not have the fear that you will reject their feelings and will allow an open and honest line of communication.
If you suspect that a close family member or trusted babysitter is being overly touchy or intimate with your child you might want to find a nanny camera you can set up for their next visit. This will allow you to keep a closer eye on the situation.
3. Teach Self-Defense
You should equip your child with the ability to protect themselves not only mentally but physically as well. A great way to do this is by enrolling them in karate lessons. These lessons will help give them the techniques to protect themselves and get away from their attacker.
Karate lessons will also teaches your child to learn some self-discipline and give them confidence in their own ability to take care of themselves or protect others that might be around them.
4. Get to Know Their Friends
When your children are of school age they will make new friends and might not always make quality ones. In order to get to know these kids better, you should invite them to spend time at your home.
This will help you gain a relationship with them and get to know them and their parents better. You will also gain peace of mind and be more trustworthy to allow your children to also spend time at their home.
As your children grow older they will want to communicate with their friends online. Knowing them in person will also help you trust that they are responsible friends to have online. Of course, you should still monitor their internet usage and make sure they aren’t communicating with people they shouldn’t be talking to or visiting websites that are inappropriate.
If you allow your child to have a social media account you should teach them how to secure their profile and make it private so that only their personal friends can reach them on the site.
5. Be Observant
Teach your children to be aware of their surroundings, even when they are in school. They might get used to their environment and let their guard down but schools aren’t spared from having criminals or other predators present. If they see something strange they should know to go tell a teacher or other member of staff.
They should also continue to keep aware of their environment if they walk to and from school, alone or with a friend. Teach them to watch for cars that might be following them or watch for people sitting in parked cars.
You should buy your child a whistle, similar to the ones that police use, so that they can blow it if someone suspicious tries to approach them. The whistle will help draw other people’s attention to them and will also scare the strange person away. If your children are older you might want to consider equipping them with pepper spray to use for protection.
Learn More About Child Safety Tips Today!
These days you can never be too careful with protecting your children for whatever may come their way. These child safety tips are just a few things you can implement today to help protect them mentally and physically.
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