Anonymous wrote:If someone tells the child to come with them, they should check with the grownup in charge, and if necessary insist the police be called. . . .

If an adult is trying to take them somewhere without letting the child get direct permission from the grownup in charge of them, that person means to hurt them. They should scream “You’re not my mom/dad!” and “Call the police!” . . .
Stop, Drop, and Roll for fire. What to do if the fire alarm goes off


If they see a gun, even if they think it’s unloaded or just a toy, they should leave it alone and go tell the grownup in charge.

I like these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Berenstain-Bears-Learn-About-Strangers/dp/0394873343

https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Drop-Roll-about-Safety/dp/0689843550/ref=sr_1_2?crid=U9RXUQ9M9ZZO&keywords=stop+drop+roll&qid=1674006024&s=books&sprefix=stop+drop+roll%2Cstripbooks%2C79&sr=1-2

A tip for the parent:
If you are going to be at a crowded place where getting separated might be a problem (amusement park, festival, airport, etc.), take a snapshot of them with your phone. You probably won’t need it and it’s easy to erase, but if the unthinkable happens and you have to start a search, you’ll have a current picture and know exactly what they were wearing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

THere is an excellent, free safety program for kids called Eddie the Eagle; it teaches them to 1) not touch a gun they happen to find, 2) leave the area, and as soon as possible, 3) tell an adult.

THey did this program at my kids pre-school and they still remember it. Its all about keeping kids safe. They even had a cute Eddie mascot who visited; kids loved it.

Eddie the Eagle is an NRA program that exists to enable the NRA to pretend that it's doing something about gun safety. It's existed for 40+ years and as evidenced by the rate of gun deaths among children in the United States: it doesn't work.

It worked great for my kids. Has kept them safe all these years. All the advice received was sound and reliable.

Maybe you should put kids safety ahead of your bitter partisan politics.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The security guard may or may not be a safe choice for a child to seek help. There are actually a surprising number of violent crimes committed by security guards.

Yeah and no background checks. I tell my kids anyone can buy those uniforms. Even tricky people. Tricky people can have jobs too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

THere is an excellent, free safety program for kids called Eddie the Eagle; it teaches them to 1) not touch a gun they happen to find, 2) leave the area, and as soon as possible, 3) tell an adult.

THey did this program at my kids pre-school and they still remember it. Its all about keeping kids safe. They even had a cute Eddie mascot who visited; kids loved it.

Eddie the Eagle is an NRA program that exists to enable the NRA to pretend that it's doing something about gun safety. It's existed for 40+ years and as evidenced by the rate of gun deaths among children in the United States: it doesn't work.

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.

The security guard may or may not be a safe choice for a child to seek help. There are actually a surprising number of violent crimes committed by security guards.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

THere is an excellent, free safety program for kids called Eddie the Eagle; it teaches them to 1) not touch a gun they happen to find, 2) leave the area, and as soon as possible, 3) tell an adult.

THey did this program at my kids pre-school and they still remember it. Its all about keeping kids safe. They even had a cute Eddie mascot who visited; kids loved it.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes - default is always a police officer or fireman, if available.

NOTE: kids should know there is ALWAYS someone home at virtually all fire stations day or night. It is just what firefighters do.

No. Kids cannot distinguish between police and private security private officers, and the private security officer pool is the group that gave us Dennis Rader, Ted Bundy, and Kenneth Bianchi, among others.

Look for a woman with kids. She may be a terrible parent but is highly unlikely to be a violent criminal. And anyone your child chooses is better than someone who chooses them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh hell no to the security guard advice. There is so little vetting of those people. A mom with kids is a safer bet. A woman with a stroller generally isn’t interested in more kids.

Have you not heard of the mom's who kill and abuse kids?

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think a five old should have to be responsible for their own safety. That’s our job as parents. That means no sleep-overs until I *really* know you, and anyone at your house.

Sure, start teaching things, but too much makes children anxious. Why do that?

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.

Yes - default is always a police officer or fireman, if available.

NOTE: kids should know there is ALWAYS someone home at virtually all fire stations day or night. It is just what firefighters do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

THere is an excellent, free safety program for kids called Eddie the Eagle; it teaches them to 1) not touch a gun they happen to find, 2) leave the area, and as soon as possible, 3) tell an adult.

THey did this program at my kids pre-school and they still remember it. Its all about keeping kids safe. They even had a cute Eddie mascot who visited; kids loved it.

Anonymous wrote: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.

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.