‘Never talk to strangers’ rule a thing of the past

The world of child safety encompasses so many subjects these days it’s amazing any parent is able to accomplish the task of raising a child. From “child-proofing” your home to monitoring Internet use, there’s always something new to worry about at every age and the rules are always changing.

One rule all parents could count on in their repertoire of safety commands was, “Never talk to strangers.” Now that’s changing too.

People are still buying in to the myth that strangers are the biggest threat to their children’s well-being. Not so, local police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are saying. National statistics from just a few years ago show that fewer than 100 children a year are abducted by strangers – and many of those kids make it home safe and sound. Children are more likely to be harmed by someone they and their family are familiar with than by a stranger. Of course, that’s no consolation to parents and children who have experienced the horror of stranger abduction – and one kidnapping is one too many. But it shows that we need to focus on how to deal with strangers instead of avoiding them entirely when teaching our kids to practice safety.

Perhaps parents thought one rule would be easier for their kids to remember and “Never talk to strangers” seems simple enough to understand. But it actually does more harm than good because many young children aren’t able to grasp that concept yet. Instead, teaching them which strangers they can go to for help when they’re in trouble – and most everyone is a stranger to them – is a far better approach, experts say. The next time you go shopping, talk with your kids about what to do if they get separated from you. Do they know where the mall information desk is? What if they got lost at the park? Would they think to find help from a group of mothers playing with their children? If your child is worried about you remembering to pick them up from school, talk to them about who they could ask for help in case something happened. Let them know all the resources they have available to them, such as the school office, teachers and parents they know.

It’s an approach to safety that makes sense. Not only does it reduce panic for kids and parents, but it instills youngsters with more confidence and self-esteem. Two lessons for the price of one – not a bad deal after all.