by H.G. Hess

Created on: April 12, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Children are so sweet and innocent and pure. They simply do not have it in their mentality to understand that someone may want to harm them. Although it is crucial to teach your child safety around strangers, it is really difficult to do so without terrifying them. Still, I think it's OK for parents to instill some fear of strangers in their children, simply for the fact that many children are friendly to everyone and can easily put themselves in very dangerous situations. Here are some tips I've come up with to help parents with this difficult topic.

THE BASICS

WHAT IS A STRANGER? Explain to a child what a stranger is as clearly as possible. Children may think because a person is nice that they are not a stranger. A child needs to be informed that a stranger is any person that mommy and daddy have not introduced them to. This way, a child will know that you will first need to introduce him/her before a person is no longer a stranger.

WHAT ABOUT IF THEY'RE NICE? Tell your child that it doesn't matter if a stranger is nice, they could want to do something really bad to them. Children usually assume that a person who is nice is good inside. They do not have nearly as strong a capability to sense danger as adults. Even if a stranger is nice, they should not go anywhere near them or take anything from them.

LURING TACTICS

WHAT IF THE STRANGER OFFERS A CANDY OR A TOY? Here is where it gets a bit tricky. Children are easily lured by things they like such as candy or a toy. Although you do not want to terrify a child, you really need to be firm that any candy or toy a stranger has is BAD and they should not take it. The child needs to know that taking anything from a stranger could lead to danger, and they could really hurt or even kill you. This may be a bit scary for a child, so try to be as soft as possible and make sure you child knows that you are the parent and it's your job to protect them.

WHAT IF THE STRANGER SAYS HE/SHE LOST A PUPPY AND NEEDS HELP. Your child needs to be prepared to say no to any situation the stranger brings up. Teach your child about the lost puppy or kitten excuse as well as any other stories commonly told to lure children away from their homes. Tell your child that strangers use this story to kidnap children and hurt them. If your child is naive and always strays from you, it doesn't hurt to tell them that only you or your spouse are allowed to look for lost animals, and that strangers know this and are lying to the child. Your child needs

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