Stangers and your kids
By addysmum
@addysmum (1225)
Canada
March 19, 2007 11:30am CST
How do you teach your kids about strangers without scaring them off everyone. My friend realized how bad she scared her kids when a police officer tried to talk to them and they ran to their father screaming about the stranger trying to steal them. My son will talk to anyone and I have tried to make him realize that is not good without turning him into a scared child. I am just wondering what you did and if it worked I will try almost anything to make him understand.
2 people like this
3 responses
@michelledarcy (5220)
•
19 Mar 07
I tell my daughter not to talk to anyone she doesn't know. I don't care if she won't talk to a policeman I'm sure they would understand why. I have also told her not to play out without her friends and if she can't find us to go to her friends house just down the road instead.
2 people like this
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
19 Mar 07
You should watch out with this. I don't know how old your daughter is, but most kids, even teens will say they know someone when they've really only seen them around before. Someone could sit on the street corner and say hi to them a few days in a row, and your kid would think they know them because of this. Or the person could tell them their name and act like a friend of yours and the kid would think it was ok.
An easier way to say this, is to not talk to anyone when you aren't around, unless it's someone that mommy or daddy know and you know them because you've seen them with mommy and daddy.
Our kids are 12 and 15 now, but they've known all along that they're allowed to go with anyone in our extended family, and a few close friends of ours. We have so many people they are very close to, we don't need the code words or anything. Some people use those though.
1 person likes this
@addysmum (1225)
• Canada
19 Mar 07
Not talking to police or people of the safety community is really not good, I think. I want my kids to feel that they can talk to a police officer. I make a point of addressing an officer that is not busy when my son is around so he learns that they are safe to go to if there is a need. Its the other people around that I don't want him talking to without me there. As far a going out to play, he is only 3 so it is backyard only and with the dogs. I have 2 70Lbs dogs and a 50Lbs dog. Nobody get near my son without me knowing. Last year I had the dogs in my van when a guy I knew from my working years came over and they attacked him for getting to close to my son. He didn't get hurt but he said after he pities anyone who crosses those dogs with my son around.
@addysmum (1225)
• Canada
19 Mar 07
I won't find that a problem but he is 3. Telling a 3 year old about strangers is hard I find. After a talk to him about strangers he goes through the store telling me about ever stranger he sees. If he was a little older and could understand it would be easier. I think part of the problem is we just moved from a village of 400 people to a small city. So I am paranoid and he is out going.
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
19 Mar 07
We taught my oldest kids that they could talk to strangers, if we were there with them. We also taught them who "safe" strangers are - police, firemen, cashiers/store employees, and even moms with little kids. Learning how to talk to people is an important skill. We encourage them when they're little to say hi to the little old lady at the store, then suddenly turn around and scare them with "stranger danger." It's really only dangerous if they do it when mom or dad isn't there to say it's ok.
1 person likes this
@addysmum (1225)
• Canada
19 Mar 07
I let my son talk to people when I am there but teaching him not to talk to people when he is alone I am not sure how to do that. I was kidnapped as a kid so I am a little more nervous then my husband is. My brother just went with a lady as a kid because she had grey hair like Nanny. I want the shy kid but I have the out going one that will talk to anyone.
