How to Keep Children Safe

Our society tends to be a perilous place if left unwatched. This leads us to the question: "How can we keep our children safe?" This is a question that has several layers to it. We'll start with the most obvious ones and work our way down.
Depending on the age of the child the parents need to know where the child is at all times. Parents should have a close network of adult friends in the neighborhood and community. Parents should pro-actively govern who their children are hanging out with so that they know whose house they are likely to be at. Making sure our children keep friendships with people with families and children you know and trust can by very key in keeping our children safe.

The second level of safety we need to watch out for is stranger safety. Teach children never to talk to strangers and to avoid them at all costs. This goes along with knowing where children are at all times and making sure they are only with families that are trustworthy. Children should generally not be allowed to be alone. Its fine if they play in their room alone, but not outside alone unless the parent or trusted adult is watching them (trusted that is the parent of the child and that family's broader community). Make sure your kids are with friends or with an trusted adult, preferably another parent. Depending on the age of the child it may be appropriate to enroll the child in martial arts. If they have a good teacher the child will not become more aggressive, in fact just the opposite will occur. The child will be come more confident and self-controlled. Granted no child is perfect, but the rewards of good martial arts training if properly tended can last for years.

A third level of safety and a relatively new one is Internet Safety. Parents with children under the age of 18 should NOT allow their children to be on the Internet unsupervised. Parents need to become educated about the dangers of chat rooms and about the technical aspects of internet software. This includes blockers, internet logs, and other safety features that are available. Parents should ban their underage kids from chat rooms and closely supervise IM usage. This can also be done in conjunction with other parents as well and networking with them and their internet habits.

A final level of safety is bullies. We all had to deal with them and unfortunately the public school system is not favorable to those children who defend themselves on the playground. In the home parents need to do all they can to teach there children to have confidence and be strong on the inside so they can stand up to threat of a bully. There are levels of standing up that don't involve an altercation. A loving nurturing environment and teaching children proper social skills is essential in counteracting bullies. This again, is where martial arts can help. The child learns to not be aggressive and builds confidence so they can even talk their way out of a confrontation with a bully. If the bully doesn't respond properly to talking, and the child is left with no other alternative the child still has a chance and can use that which will neutralize the bully threat.
These things combined provide an excellent commonsense approach to child safety. These things combined with a great home life will keep our children very safe.