Be sure that you are calm yourself when you talk
to your daughter. If you sound anxious, she will pick
up on that. Tell your daughter in a matter-of-fact way
that you believe that most people are GOOD, and that
this means that most strangers are good, but that a
few people have problems that might cause them to hurt
kids.
Tell your daughter that she does NOT have to worry about
strangers if she follows your safety rules. If your
daughter is by herself, the safety rule is to come and
check with you first before she gets close to or talks
to anyone she doesn't know well. Help her come up with
specific examples of people she knows well and people
she doesn't.
If your daughter becomes separated from you, she needs
to know what your safety plan is if she is for example,
lost and cannot check first. In that case, she should
go to the checkout counter or, if that doesnt work,
look for a woman with children to help her.
When your daughter gets old enough to be on her own
without you, her safety rule is to THINK FIRST and to
know how to GET HELP.
Remember that most of the people who harm children are
not strangers but people they know. Be sure that you
teach your daughter how to set boundaries with people
she knows. Her safety plan is to check with you before
she changes the plan about who she is with, where they
are going and what they are doing.
Studies have shown that just raising awareness without
practicing skills can raise anxiety. Practicing skills
to rehearse how to handle different situations almost
always reduces anxiety and builds competence. Have your
daughter pretend that a friendly stranger is approaching
her and have her practice coming to you to check first.
Discuss and practice different safety plans for getting
help from strangers if your daughter cannot find you
to check first with. |
