Best Way to Teach Your Child to ‘Keep Safe’

Whatever her age, a child’s progress in exploring the wider world isn’t always straightforward. Illness, changing school or any other anxiety can make a child take a temporary step backwards in her growing independence.

Unless a child is ready and willing to venture-forth from you, it’s best to let her be as clingy as she wishes. This applies in many areas, whether it’s learning to ride a bicycle or jump into the swimming pool. If a child is uneasy about doing something, then she probably won’t enjoy it and may even endanger herself if she’s physically or emotionally tense.

Safety outside the home

When your child ventures outside the home on her own, try always to remind her of particular points of danger she may meet and what to do about them. An older child may tease you about being too careful, but she knows deep down that you are doing it because you love her.

Teaching your child to ‘keep safe’

Most parents teach their children that they shouldn’t accept sweets from strangers, but it’s important also to tell your child never to accept a lift in a car from a stranger, or go with a stranger, whatever story is given to persuade her.

The more time your child spends out of your care, the more you may find yourself worrying about her being approached by a stranger, particularly with so much publicity being given to cases of abduction and sexual assault. In fact, the awful truth is that the majority of sexual assaults on children are by people they know already, so warning your child darkly about ‘stran­gers’ is not necessarily enough. You can, to some extent, protect your child by talking to her about potential risks. Teach her that she has the right to say ‘no’ when she feels uneasy in a situation or if anyone touches her in a sensitive area or in a way that she doesn’t like. Try always to be sensitive to your child’s feelings. Encourage her not to keep secrets and never dismiss what she says as a fanciful story.

Try to make sure that your child knows how to keep safe in any situation. Remind her that she can always ask a teacher or policeman for help or go into a shop. Help her to learn her address and telephone number and, once she is old enough, how to make an emergency telephone call.

There are now several books available to help you teach your child to be confident about dealing with potentially threatening situations. In addition, in some areas the police will come into schools to give talks and show films on safety. There are also programmes, such as ‘Kidscape’, that seek to teach ‘good sense defence’.

Important

• Never ignore your child if she’s struggling to tell you something that she thinks is important.
• Teach her not to get close to a stranger who approaches her and not to be afraid to shout or scream to draw attention to herself.
• Never leave your child unattended or under the supervision of another child.
• Never leave a child under twelve in a room alone with an unguarded fire.
• Never allow your child near a road alone until she is responsible about road safety.