In a crowded children's museum just outside of Chicago, a mother frantically searches for her three-year-old son. "Billy? Billy!" she calls. Grabbing the first staff member she sees, she pleads, "Can you help me find my son? He's wearing a red sweatshirt and blue jeans. I only looked away for a second"

Meanwhile, in another area of the museum, a little boy wanders through the crowds, sobbing. A concerned staff member stops him, crouching down at his eye level. "Can I help you find someone, buddy?" she asks gently. But the little boy shakes his head, crying harder, and starts to run away from her. He's lost, and he's scared, but he knows he's not supposed to talk to strangers!

It happens every day, somewhere. It happens to even the best parents and caregivers. In a busy place, especially a place like a children's museum where children cannot be expected to stand hand-in-hand with an adult the whole time, it's easy to lose track of a little one. Every parent dreads looking around and being unable to spot their child. But the situation doesn't necessarily need to be a parent's worst nightmare! There are some simple things you can do to ensure that, if you get separated from one of your children, you'll be reunited with him as quickly and easily as possible.

1. Teach your kids to never leave without you. Let's say little Billy realizes his mom isn't in sight. Panicking, he wonders if she left without him or perhaps is waiting for him in the car. As long as Billy stays inside the children's museum, he's going to be relatively safe but once he goes outside by himself, there are a lot more dangers to worry about. Teach your kids that you will never leave a building without them, not even to go to the car. And make sure they know that they must never leave without you.

2. Help kids identify people they can ask for help. Most of us tell our children that they can always ask a police officer for help and we also warn them never to speak to, or go with, strangers. But many times, a child will not be able to spot a uniformed police officer or security guard to ask for help. In Billy's case, a staff member of the museum was trying to help him, but Billy perceived her as a stranger. When you enter a new place, point out the people who work there. Help your children identify the staff members' uniforms and name badges. At the children's museum, staff members all wore red aprons and nametags. If Billy had known this, he would have understood that

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