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Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Strangers
Be appropriately honest with your child
It is important to be honest with your child regarding
dangers, while avoiding introducing unnecessary stress into your child's
life. You're the best judge of your child's temperament, and
can gauge your discussion accordingly. It may help to explain that the
situations being discussed don't happen often, but are still important
to be prepared for, "just in case." A good analogy is to fire
and tornado drills at school: unusual occurrences, but preparation can
save lives.
Repetition
Repetition is one of the best ways to learn. Rather than talk about
strangers once or twice, it's important to bring the subject up
regularly. A child needs to know the safety rules well enough to
be able to act without stopping to think about it if a situation arises.
Listen to their concerns
Be ready to listen and respond to your child's concerns. Children
have great questions and experiences to discuss. Make sure you
give them the time to express their thoughts and feelings.
Have a plan
Developing a plan before you talk to your child will
help the conversation go smoothly and ensure that you talk about
everything you need to.
Be ready to play
Role playing is a great way to make safety rules more
concrete and understandable for children. Have them practice
running from a stranger to a safe adult, and plan what they will say.
Practice using examples from the lures
that dangerous strangers commonly use. The more realistic you can
make role playing, the better prepared your child will be.
What to Tell Your Kids: Questions & Answers
What is a stranger?
A stranger is simply someone you don't know.
Strangers can say they know you or know your family, teacher or friends.
Strangers may even know your name or the names of people in your family.
If you or your parents do not know that person, the person is a
stranger.
Who are safe adults?
Safe adults are grown-ups who you can tell if something happens to
you, people who your parents or caregivers have told you are
safe to talk with. Examples of safe adults:
- Parents
- Caregivers
- Teachers
- School Counselors
- Principal
- Policeman in uniform
- Fireman in uniform
What should I do if a stranger tries to talk to me?
Run in the opposite direction as fast as you can, and tell a
safe adult the first chance you get. Do not talk to a stranger,
even to say, “I can’t talk to strangers.” You can also yell,
"Call 911!" as loud as you can. The idea is to get away and
get other people's attention so they can see what's happening.
What if I am out with my family?
That is a hard question. Sometimes people who work in a business will
talk to kids, for example. If you're with a safe adult, you
don't need to run away.
If you're not with a safe adult and a stranger talks to you
for no reason, running away is still the safest thing to do.
It's
best to have an idea of what the safe places are where you're at, or
even have a special meeting place planned when you go out, so you know
where to go.
For example, in a store you might go to the customer service counter,
the security desk or checkout counter. Look for the uniforms people who
work in the business wear.
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