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MC: Stranger Danger


I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.
Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.
If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!
Coming on March 16th, we will discuss:
Fun St. Patrick's Day Activities To Do With Your Preschooler
Now on to this week's topic!
How To Speak To Your Kids About Stranger Danger.
Here is what Mom Connection shared:
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Welcome! I'm Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:
I am kind of paranoid when it comes to stranger danger. My girls will probably never ride their bikes without me or walk up to the nearest gas station for candy. The news makes me sad and scared for their future. The only way to calm my anxiety is to pray. I often pray for God to protect and watch over my children.
I have been talking to Averie about strangers for a while now. We started when she was 2 ½ years old. I even showed her a YouTube video of a little girl kicking and screaming when a man was trying to abduct her. I was worried, that it would frighten her, but I wanted to show her how serious “bad” strangers can be.
We also talk periodically about our private parts and why they are private. Mostly our conversations are after prayers and during snuggle time. I plan on talking with Alice in the next year or so. I think open communication is important and to make sure what you are telling your children is age appropriate. I don’t want to scare Averie but I want to lay the foundation for when she is older and our talks are more in-depth. I will always remind my children and talk to them about the dangers of strangers.
Here is a great book called Some Parts are Not for Sharing, I purchased it awhile back to talk to Averie about “private parts.” If I could find it, we will be reading it again. It is informative and great for preschoolers. I think preschool age is the perfect age to start the awareness of strangers.
A strong faith, open communication and stranger danger awareness is necessary for living in this world today.
Hi! I'm Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I'm a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 4, 3, and 20 months. This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:
This is a sensitive topic for me, with the Jessica Ridgeway story just barely behind us. I try to teach my littles that, while most people in this world are nice, there some people who do bad things and we need to be extra careful. I tend to go more on the cautious side… they know that they are not allowed to go anywhere with anyone they know besides mommy and daddy, unless we tell them ahead of time that it’s ok. They know they are not allowed to open the front door for anyone, and they run to me if someone knocks. They know not to talk to strangers unless they are with mommy or daddy {I constantly find myself giving Emily a nod of approval when we’re out and someone says hi specifically to her}. They also know to scream “you’re not my mommy/daddy!” at the top of their lungs if someone tries to touch them. I feel that the very best we can do is give them some strategies and things to watch out for, because – let’s face it – there is a lot of evil in this world and I don’t think you can ever be too cautious, especially with your kiddos! However, I do feel that it is also very important not to make them afraid of their own shadow… so we try to find the balance. So far, my littles really love and enjoy people, so hopefully we’ve at least come close to it. But like probably all mommas, I pray regularly for their safety and then spend the day enjoying watching them live their lives.
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My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:
My husband and I joked when I was pregnant with my first child that we would give all of our children whistles and if anyone they did not know ever came up to talk to them, they would know to start blowing that whistle like crazy. Our theory was, we'd rather offend a nice person than have them taken by a bad person.
All joking aside, this is a very serious topic. It's a dangerous world we live in. Having worked for a Law Enforcement agency and seen some of the crimes that were committed against children makes me even more paranoid.
Like anything else of importance, you should start when they are young and do it in a manner that they understand the seriousness without scaring them. We have periodic discussions about making sure they know they are NEVER to get in a car or go anywhere with someone they do not know, even if they are promised video games or candy AND we also have the discussion about making sure they know it is not ok for someone to touch them in a private area, and if that ever happens, to tell mommy and daddy.
I think that role play might be an effective tool in this scenario to teach them and make sure they are paying attention.
This is such an important topic. I am really looking forward to reading all of the tips!
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My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 2 years old and Christian 6 years). This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:
This is such an important and scary topic to discuss with your children. Isabella is too young to understand the importance of this still, and she runs from strangers right now, so that helps ;) On a serious note, I started speaking to Christian about this around two and a half, three years old. The condo we lived in at the time had a storm door and we often kept the front door open throughout the day. Of course I always kept the storm door locked, but once Christian got the hang of it he knew just how to unlock it pretty quickly. Once he figured out how to do this, I explained the importance of never answering the door without Mommy or Daddy, even if it was someone who he knew like Nana or a friend.
Still to this day, at age (almost) seven, he does this. And now with Isabella mimicking his every move, I love that he still obeys this rule! I almost never watch the news with the kids around because it's nothing but negativity, so I wait to watch it in the evenings once they're in bed. If there's been an incident involving a child, I think of how I would react in a situation like that and I how I can bring it up to Christian without scaring him. I want him to know that there are bad people out there that could really hurt him if they had the chance, and that's pretty much how I say it!
I've explained to him no matter where he is at the time, if someone walks up to him and tries to take him to start kicking and screaming as loud as possible. One of the characteristics about Christian that scares me at times is, he is so trusting of people. I absolutely emphasize not talking to anyone he doesn't know even if it's out in front of our house. Still to this day, there's so many things I want Christian to know and understand but I know the timing needs to be right. I'm always praying for the right words to say to my children! Do you feel like there's an appropriate age or time to bring this topic up with your children?
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My name is Kristen from The Mrs. & The Momma. I'm the momma of three girls (ages 7, 5, & 3) and a little boy (18 months). This is how I speak to my kids about stranger danger:
Stranger danger isn't really a term we use with our kids, as it conveys to them that there is danger with all strangers, which is both false and an unnecessary scare tactic. It's a bit more complicated to teach and consistency is important to not send mixed messages. I think in an effort as parents to encourage our children's good manners, we automatically say to our children, "Can you tell them Hi?" when a stranger says hello at the grocery store, for example. This is contradictory to what they've learned about not talking to strangers, right? I really try to watch myself when in public to stay consistent with those types of rules, but to also take it a step further when our kids are old enough to understand more.
Reading "Berenstein Bears Learn About Strangers" with my children helps them understand that most people are probably not bad, and aren't necessarily the way they look (bad people can be pretty and good people can look bad)....basically teaching that we can't be too careful. We also teach them about "safe strangers" who they could as for help such as a teacher, a police officer, or if they're ever separated from us, to always find another mommy to ask for help. The topic of stranger danger is an ongoing conversation in our household, as I hope to equip my children now (in the early years) with tools to make good choices about safe situations and to trust their instincts.
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Your Turn:

How do you speak to your kids about stranger danger?
Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!
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