Keeping Your Children Safe

The greatest fear of a parent is that their child will one day disappear or be brutalized. Indeed it is a realistic fear. There are people out there who prey specifically on children and with the recent news stories of children being recovered after years of being gone it can be scary just letting your kid cross the street without holding your hand. Keeping in mind the dangers of the world here are some tips on keeping your child safe. You should consider sharing these with your children as well.

Fingerprints and DNA.
There are many agencies that now supply parents with fingerprinting and DNA kits. DNA and fingerprints are two things that don't change over time, unlike your child's appearance. You may also want to include a set of dental records. Hopefully you won't ever need them.

Take pictures.
Take pictures of your child(ren) regularly. You may also want to take pictures of any identifying marks. Scars, birthmarks, and the like. These will help the police in case your child does go missing.

Self-defense.
You and your child should attend a basic self-defense class. This will be beneficial for you and your child. A good self-defense teacher should be able to teach you how to imobilize someone without killing or permanently damaging them. My next piece of advice is probably going to be controversial. You and your child should probably attend a gun safety class. This is a "what if" precaution only. Some kidnappers may use a gun as a threat. If your child has a chance to use it against them, they should know how to use it properly. Of course, before this you need to determine the maturity of your child and decide if this is an appropriate step for you. It may not be, use your judgment.

Online issues.
One new way that predators are getting at children recently is through the internet. While over-monitoring your child's online activity can and most likely will result in resentment and a feeling of privacy invasion, it does need to be done. Just not over-done. Your child may at some point even wish to meet with an online friend. This kind of activity needs to be carefully watched. You and another adult should accompany your child. There is safety in numbers. Be sure that your children understand the danger of giving out too much information over the internet and the danger of online predators.

Home safety.
Make sure that your child has a key to your house. You should also hide a key in a non-obvious location. Under the mat, the fake rock, and on the edge of the door frame are not good places. If you can, put the key in the backyard somewhere. We have ours hidden in a secret ledge on our air conditioner. Make sure your kids know where the key is. Also make it clear that the doors should stay locked when you're not home. Also school your kids in telephone etiquette. It's just asking for trouble when your child tells a stranger on the phone that mommy and daddy are not at home. You might also consider getting a dog.

Prevention.
Teach your kids some basic info to avoid getting kidnapped. Always travel in groups. Make a scene if someone tries to take them. Fight back and never get taken to a second location. These are some basic things that can prevent a kidnapping. Teach your kids that they are allowed to do anything to prevent someone from taking them. If they need to pull things of shelves, poke eyes, scream, pull a fire alarm, yell fire, go into the wrong gender bathroom, or even pee.

These are all some things you can do to keep your kids safe. Some of these are tips that may or may not work for you (like getting a dog for home protection). Use them as needed and in ways that work for your family.