Anonymous wrote:For safety, parents should not leave their kids alone for a minute unless they are in the school.

And so now we know why so many children/teens have anxiety...some of these posts on this thread are...WOOF.

GROWN UPS DON'T NEED HELP FROM CHILDREN.
To find a lost puppy, a kitty, whatever. Grown ups get help from other grown ups.

Anonymous wrote:I would also like to start with some sort of early media literacy type of teaching, because when they are teenagers, the internet will be full of potential dangers

Word

I would also like to start with some sort of early media literacy type of teaching, because when they are teenagers, the internet will be full of potential dangers

My main things that I teach my young kids (7 and 5) are based on the most likely things that could hurt them:
-Water safety: don't ever get in water without an adult who is watching you and told you it is OK to go in. If you see another kid get in water without an adult, go run and get an adult right away but don't get in the water to try to help the other kid. I even reiterate this w/ my 7 year old who is a decent swimmer.
-Traffic safety: Always wait for an adult to walk w/ you/hold your hand when walking in a parking lot. Don't ever just start walking in the parking lot after getting out of the car. Always look around you before you open the car door to get out. As you walk in the parking lot, watch for car's back up lights as you walk by to make sure they're not about to start driving. Always stop at every street corner, driveway, and alley to look in all directions for cars. Don't ever assume a car is going to stop even if there is a stop sign/crosswalk/red light. Always wait until the car actually comes to a full stop before stepping out to cross. Never go into the street to get a ball or anything else. Always ask an adult to get it for you.
-Car seat safety: let an adult know if you're not fully buckled before they start driving. I've taught them how to make sure their car seat straps fit correctly so they can test it themselves after I buckle them in. Now that my 7 year old is in a booster seat, we've had to go over w/ him how he needs to sit correctly every time in the car (with seat belt shoulder strap across his shoulder and never take the shoulder strap off). With my 5 year old in the 5 point harness still, we teach her to make sure her car seat is always actually buckled in with the seat belt because sometimes (especially when we have grandparents visiting) it accidentally gets unbuckled. We also do a lot of the this for them of course by making sure they stay in the safest car seat for them and checking their height/weight often to make sure it's still the best/safest seat for them.
-Gun safety: if you ever see a gun, even if you think it's a toy gun, never touch it and go tell an adult right away. If someone else is playing with a gun, go away from that area and tell an adult. And again we do some of this for them by asking if people own guns before our kids ever go in their house and by not owning a gun or even toy guns ourselves.
-Eating safely: always sit when you're eating, take small bites and chew them well before swallowing--especially if it's something tough and chewy-- do not throw food into your mouth or play with your food in any way. And I always cut any choking hazards up small still even at their ages and I don't give them choking hazards (raw carrots, big whole grapes, etc.) in their lunches at school.
-Fire safety: don't ever go near fire, don't ever touch the oven or stove even if you think it's off, don't ever touch a pot/pan that's on the stove, don't ever play with lighters or matches, if you hear a smoke alarm or smell/see smoke, go outside right away.
-Safe touch: as others have said, teach proper names of private areas and make sure they know no one is to touch them or ask to see them and they are not to touch anyone else or see anyone else's either. To never keep secrets from parents and that if anyone ever does or says anything that makes them uncomfortable, to tell us right away.
-Stranger danger: don't ever go anywhere with a stranger. Don't walk away from us in a public area. Grown ups never need help from kids and shouldn't ever be asking a kid for directions or assistance finding something and to never take anything from a stranger (food, toy, etc.) unless a parent says it's ok. I teach them my full name and that if they do get separated from me stay put and say my name really loudly. If I don't come right away, ask a parent w/ young kids for help. When we go to a super crowded place, I write our name and phone number on their arm in sharpie in case they get separated from us. Either my spouse or I always go with our kids into public bathrooms or at least wait right outside the door if it's a single stall.

Jujitsu takedown moves

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the mom with kids/ family with kids advice. There are some bad people who are parents

Where should a kid look for help then? You can't tell them to find a police officer or a security guard because they aren't always around. A family with kids is likely the best option in any public place.

We tell our kids to ask the parent if they can use the parent's phone to call us. That's it. They shouldn't go anywhere with the parent and if the parent doesn't want to call, or doesn't let our kid speak to us on the phone (i.e., the adult pretends to talk to us), or if the parent tries to get the kid to leave, find a different family to help.

Any of those places a family is there's usually police security or a clerk.

Not at a park. Not at most outdoor places. It's not always easy to find help at places like the museum or the zoo--and it can be difficult for a young child to identify someone who works at the place.

I should clarify: the default is to find a police officer or security guard in uniform. Always. But if there isn't one in the immediate vicinity (which is usually the case), then your kid is going to need a back-up option.

When I was little my mom taught me the key to finding someone who works in a store is a grownup lady who doesn't have a purse.

Yeah but that's not true anymore because a lot of people don't carry purses anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about the mom with kids/ family with kids advice. There are some bad people who are parents

Where should a kid look for help then? You can't tell them to find a police officer or a security guard because they aren't always around. A family with kids is likely the best option in any public place.

We tell our kids to ask the parent if they can use the parent's phone to call us. That's it. They shouldn't go anywhere with the parent and if the parent doesn't want to call, or doesn't let our kid speak to us on the phone (i.e., the adult pretends to talk to us), or if the parent tries to get the kid to leave, find a different family to help.

Any of those places a family is there's usually police security or a clerk.

At a park/playground? At a street fair/carnival/festival? There are plenty of situations where kid could get separated and not easily find a clerk or security guard/police officer but much more likely to find a parent w/ kids.

Don’t pick up a gun. Assume all guns are loaded. Don’t let someone show you their parents gun. Get away from the area if someone has a gun. Not sure what to teach exactly but I feel like some sort of gun safety/avoidance should be taught. Surprised no one has mentioned this. Thanks for the other tips by the way. I didn’t know to teach “you’re not my mom/dad” instead of “no!” But it makes sense. Also adults shouldn’t be asking for kids help is a good one. I think I’ll pass on how to get out of a trunk, but maybe I should learn that for myself.

My safety rules/lessons


MOMS NAME. Number 1 thing. They could say my name clearly before lots of other things.

How to say “I need to find my mom” in a clear voice.

We would play a game walking around people you might pick. I wanted them to develop a gut instinct. And I helped them with that.

ADULTS DO NOT ASK CHILDREN FOR HELP. That is an emergency 🚨 red flag 🚩

Most of the things PPs have mentioned. Plus:

If your kids attend school or camp - good touching vs bad touching and what to do if they are uncomfortable.

Autonomy over their own body, i.e., “my body, my choice”

How to care for their own personal hygiene so they don’t need to ask for help.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How to pop open a trunk if they're shoved into one. What to do if they can't pop the trunk open.

This is a bad joke, right? No one is that anxious about highly specific and unlikely kidnapping situations?
You might be better off teaching weather safety, being struck by lightning is more likely than kidnapping by someone the child does not know.

Nope, not a joke. When I taught my kids I didn't mention kidnapping. It was more "Don't EVER hide in a trunk when you're playing hide and seek, or even just as a joke. But if you DO get stuck in a trunk, see this? It will open the trunk. And if you're in a trunk that doesn't have it, you can go ahead and kick as hard as you can and break the car to stick your foot out of the tail light and someone will see it and help you." To them, it's just info they tucked away in their brains and will probably never use. But it's in there if they need it.

How are your kids’ anxiety disorders doing?

None of them have one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How to pop open a trunk if they're shoved into one. What to do if they can't pop the trunk open.

This is a bad joke, right? No one is that anxious about highly specific and unlikely kidnapping situations?
You might be better off teaching weather safety, being struck by lightning is more likely than kidnapping by someone the child does not know.

Nope, not a joke. When I taught my kids I didn't mention kidnapping. It was more "Don't EVER hide in a trunk when you're playing hide and seek, or even just as a joke. But if you DO get stuck in a trunk, see this? It will open the trunk. And if you're in a trunk that doesn't have it, you can go ahead and kick as hard as you can and break the car to stick your foot out of the tail light and someone will see it and help you." To them, it's just info they tucked away in their brains and will probably never use. But it's in there if they need it.

How are your kids’ anxiety disorders doing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How to pop open a trunk if they're shoved into one. What to do if they can't pop the trunk open.

This is a bad joke, right? No one is that anxious about highly specific and unlikely kidnapping situations?
You might be better off teaching weather safety, being struck by lightning is more likely than kidnapping by someone the child does not know.

Nope, not a joke. When I taught my kids I didn't mention kidnapping. It was more "Don't EVER hide in a trunk when you're playing hide and seek, or even just as a joke. But if you DO get stuck in a trunk, see this? It will open the trunk. And if you're in a trunk that doesn't have it, you can go ahead and kick as hard as you can and break the car to stick your foot out of the tail light and someone will see it and help you." To them, it's just info they tucked away in their brains and will probably never use. But it's in there if they need it.

Very weird

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How to pop open a trunk if they're shoved into one. What to do if they can't pop the trunk open.

This is a bad joke, right? No one is that anxious about highly specific and unlikely kidnapping situations?
You might be better off teaching weather safety, being struck by lightning is more likely than kidnapping by someone the child does not know.

Nope, not a joke. When I taught my kids I didn't mention kidnapping. It was more "Don't EVER hide in a trunk when you're playing hide and seek, or even just as a joke. But if you DO get stuck in a trunk, see this? It will open the trunk. And if you're in a trunk that doesn't have it, you can go ahead and kick as hard as you can and break the car to stick your foot out of the tail light and someone will see it and help you." To them, it's just info they tucked away in their brains and will probably never use. But it's in there if they need it.