by Mike Webb

Created on: September 03, 2008

Children will always encounter strangers in their lives; it's our job as a parent or guardian to make sure they understand when it can be dangerous for them. More importantly we need to teach our children about situations rather than strangers. If we only stress the "don't talk to strangers" song and dance then how will they understand that it's ok to talk to a policeman, security guard or even a lifeguard for that matter of fact?

Since we can't be with our children every moment of their lives they need to know the safest thing to do when a situation arises. Situations such as being lost, another adult talking to them, a friend that wants them to come over to their house or someone trying to give them a ride.

Your first step in Stranger Danger awareness should be to let your kids know that they can tell you anything and you won't be upset. Let them know that you care about everything that happens in their lives and you will always love them, no matter what. You want to be the first person they come to when they have a problem. Make sure that you make it a point to listen to your child's problems without criticism and ask them how they think they should fix the problem first. Then add your input and help give them options. If there is a safety issue then you will need to address that specifically.

Every child, just like an adult, has that feeling inside when something is wrong, or just doesn't feel right. By helping your child with their problems you can also teach them, when it doesn't feel right, it usually isn't right.

I like to use the analogy of a "Fire Alarm". I call that inside bad feeling to be just like a Fire Alarm and I always ask: What do you do when the fire alarm goes off? Of course their answer is to get out. I want them to think of that bad feeling as a fire alarm that just went off and it's time to get out, get away and find someone who can protect you if needed. Kids can associate with common things such as a fire alarm and that makes it easier for them to understand and to know that it's ok to leave.

Making sure your child picks you first to deal with their problems will eliminate many stranger danger problems. So what else can we do as parents to equip our kids with the proper tools against the bad person that might invade their life?

- Talk about situations and explain what your rules are for their safety.
- Have a red alert signal or password that let's your children know what to do in a possible dangerous situation.
- Allow your child to carry

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