Never play with fire, no running with sharp objects, don't talk to strangers... The "do's and don'ts" of safety go on and on, but there are a few things more that we must not forget to teach our young kiddos...
"Don't panic": This is vital to their safety. Fear can render an individual, especially a young one, completely helpless, motionless, breathless, and thoughtless. Be sure to take advantage of the next unnecessary freakout session your little one has to help them gain composure in crisis. As long as he/she is not in ANY danger, instead of snatching them immediately out of their imagined emergency - get down to their level, look them in the eyes; with a very calm voice tell them they are okay, tell them you are not going to let anything hurt them, tell them that they must calm down to make the screaming, crying, and kicking stop... Then describe to them their situation - explain in terms they can understand. Explain why they are not in any immediate danger. Show them a solution to their problem. If the solution is not something your child wants to do, but can do, don't miss out on this opportunity to teach perseverance... it may save their life someday.
"Defense": Teaching a child "stranger danger" is only the first step to them knowing what to do in case of an abduction. You may have to "take one for the team" while teaching them "defense", but if it proves necessary in the future, you'll know it was well worth it. Teach your child: how to smack an attackers nose (palm forcibly in an upward motion); how to bite the attackers hand if the attacker covers your child's mouth; to never stop kicking, screaming, biting, pinching, wiggling... Remind them anything they can think of is the "right" thing to do in this case, and that they won't be at all in trouble for protecting themselves - no matter what. It may seem like teaching these moves will open the door to scary thoughts or nightmares, but if you can teach your child these things with a lighthearted wrestling/tickling match with lots of laughing, squealing, and fake knockouts - long before bedtime - the useful lessons learned will far outweigh the risk of nightmares.
"How to call for help": When we were kids, our parents made us memorize the numbers "9,1,1", right? They told us, if we were in an emergency to call that number... But in this day and age, that just won't cut it. If you don't have a landline, and even if you do, but also have a cellphone, your child needs to know the steps to unlocking your phone, finding the right button, what numbers to push, and then - don't forget to hit "call" or whatever the process is... Practice, practice, practice is the key. In addition to knowing "911", have them practice calling a family member/friend or dial a number for you before you make a call. You never know when this information will become absolutely essential to their safety.
"Direction": As adults we HATE to be lost in any way, shape, or form. How much more would that overwhelming anxiety be felt to a small child... A fun way to teach your child "direction" is to have them be your "backseat driver" whenever the opportunity arises. Have them tell you which way to turn at every stoplight/stop sign, what road markers to look for, and which way is home during the entire trip. It is so very tempting to put them in their booster-seats, throw on their headphones and movie, and run that errand, but giving your child the peace of mind of at least knowing where they are in case of an emergency will be worth every ounce of effort in the long run.
"What to do when the fire alarm goes off": Fire alarms are the worst possible noise imaginable and to the sensitive ears of our kiddos, it is so much more so. Often times our children's natural reflex upon hearing the horrendous sound of the fire alarm, is to run and hide under something that blocks the sound (pillows, blankets, closed closet doors). If you do have a fire in your house, having a child hiding in an unusual place makes it significantly more difficult to find them, but having them hiding and holding their ears makes it nearly impossible to get any response from that child at all. This makes it extremely time-consuming to locate the little one. We have to instill the new reflex of running outside when he/she hears the alarm. Remember practice or "drills" in this case makes "perfect". Not only do we want our little ones to run outside in case of fire, but we need them to know to leave the door open behind them (so outdoors is the first place the guardian knows to look for them), but also where outside to run too. We don't want them running into a busy street or hiding in the shed (as it too may catch on fire). We need them to run to a particular place so that we know right where to look for them. Once your child realizes that the noise is nearly obsolete outside, this drill becomes easier and easier to remember.
Better to be safe than sorry, right? Thanks for reading!
What safety tips do you teach your little one(s)? I'm sure we will all benefit from your feedback!! :)
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