Police: Safety Skills All Children Should Have

While most kids pass through childhood without ever experiencing physical harm, some are frightened or hurt by crime. As a parent, one of your responsibilities is to teach your children how to protect themselves and respond to threatening situations. And, it's important to always listen to your children's fears and feelings about people or places that scare them or make them feel uncomfortable.

Cover the Basics:

• Have them rehearse their full name, address, and phone number. Teach them how to make emergency calls from home and public phones.
• Show them safe places they can go to in an emergency, like a neighbor's house or an open store.
• Tell them never to accept gifts or rides from someone they don't know well.
• Teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard and ask for help if you become separated in a store or shopping mall. Tell them never to go into the parking lot alone.
• Accompany your children to public restrooms.
• Teach them that no one, not even someone they know, has the right to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. Tell them they have a right to say "No."

At School and Play:

• Make sure your children are taking the safest route to school and friends' houses.
• Encourage them to walk and play with friends, not alone, and to stay in well-lighted, open areas where others can see them.
• Don't hang a house key around your child's neck. Put it inside a pocket or sock.
• Teach them to walk confidently and stay alert to what's going on around them.
• Encourage them to look out for other kids' safety and report anything they see that doesn't seem right.
• Tell them to stay away from strangers who hang around playgrounds, public restrooms, and empty buildings.

At Home Alone:

• Make sure your kids can reach you by telephone at work.
• Have them check in with you at work or with a neighbor when they get home.
• Work out an escape plan in case of fire.
• Tell them to never open the door to a stranger. Caution them about answering the phone and accidentally letting a stranger know they are alone.
• Make sure they know how to work the door and window locks and that they use them when they are inside alone.

Whereas these are merely guidelines, the important thing to remember is to keep an open and honest exchange of information between yourself and your children.