Child Safety and Protection

The following facts are alarming but "A child's first teacher is their parent" and the following strategies and tips are very important to protect our children and keep them safe!

FACT: 1 in 4 children are molested before age 18, and 90% are known by the family or are family members.

FBI STATISTIC: 44% of abducted children are dead in one hour. 75% are dead in 3 hours.

FACT: ID cards, fingerprints, DNA kits, the Amber Alert, and tracking devices do nothing what-so-ever to prevent children from becoming missing.

FACT: Child safety and protection education goes beyond "Stranger Danger" and ID bracelets used in most education programs and schools. It is a personal and family matter.

FACT: Responsible parents who try hard to raise well-behaved children can actually set them up for exploitation. Their value system of good kids can make them ideal victims.

FACT: A child's first teacher is their parent.

I remember reading that last fact above when my daughter was born and taking that to heart. Teaching her the basics was easy and fun. She grew to a toddler, than to a preschooler very quickly and I soon realized the outside world was having more of an influence on her as I enrolled her in preschool, hired babysitters and took her to Sunday School.

I remember hearing news reports about child abductions and child abuse but thought it could never happen to my daughter. After all I was extra careful about who she was with and I was with her the rest of the time to keep her safe and protected. I didn't know I was leaving out the most important part of her education by not teaching her how to protect herself from harm when I wasn't with her and the reality of how a child predator lures parents and children into trusting them every day.

I have since become aware of how clever child molesters and predators are. All age groups are targeted by child predators. Can you think of any job more important than protecting and saving our children? I guess not, because you care enough to read this article.

Respect your elders. If an adult tells you to do something, do it! One youngster said his molester constantly reminded him, "I'm the grown-up and you're the kid. You better do what I say." According to a 7 year old, who was molested by a family member, she thought because her molester was an adult, he could not have been wrong. Later she decided, "I must have been very bad and this was my punishment." It is essential that parents teach their children to respect and obey authority, but do your children know about the misuse of authority?

Have you discussed with your child righteous indignation? Your child should know that if an adult (teacher, relative, coach) suggests something wrong-by touching them sexually or showing them pornographic pictures-they have your permission to say emphatically "No!" and it is okay to scream or run away if the adult persists. Don't assume they will know that to do in this kind of situation. Tell them. Role playing works very well with young children to help them understand what you are talking about or you can use puppets.

Don't be a tattletale. This is a value used by molesters. A molesting adult will often use physical or psychological threats to increase a child's reluctance to tell. Could your child be victimized because of a good kid's code of honor? "I promised I wouldn't tell!" A parent needs to sit their child down and say, "if anybody ever touches you and makes you uncomfortable -tell me. I don't care who it is-Daddy, Uncle, Grandpa, a neighbor, you tell me. We will make sure it doesn't happen again." It's a tough thing for any parent to say, but it has to be said. Should a child start to object to every good-bye kiss from a relative, find out why and remember a child has a right to say no to a kiss.

For more important information for safeguarding your child from sexual predators go to Annie Samuels' Child Safety Tips blog at http://child-safety-protection.blogspot.com/ and let me know what you think.

Child Safety in Neighborhood

What could be worse than being unsafe in your own neighborhood? Will moving to another place end your worries? Will your child be less vulnerable if you build your home somewhere else?

Fear is an option. And running away from danger does not really make it go away. It won't be healthy for your child to grow up and see you constantly fleeing at the first sight of danger. Of course, it does not mean that you ignore it and meet it head on. But it would benefit your child more if you teach him to conquer his fears and look out for himself.

Your neighborhood wasn't handpicked to be the most unsafe place in the world. Basically, all places have bad guys. Just as every basket has its share of bad apples. But it would be unfair to paint an ugly picture of the world to your child. Child safety in neighborhood does not include making your child live in fear that the bad guys are lurking in every corner. Instead, let them see their potentials in warding off any harm that may come their way.

Child safety in neighborhood can be effective if parents teach their children to open up and talk freely about their activities. You should be able to motivate them to share anything that they want to tell you. Most abduction or child exploitation cases happen because of the absence of parent and child communication. Children involved were found out to have kept their fears and confusions from their parents, making them more vulnerable to these "attacks".

Parents should make it a point to be aware of their children's activities. Child safety in neighborhood includes knowing their friends and their friends' families as well. If you value independence, make sure there are limits to it. Do not allow your child to play all by himself on the front yard or any place far from your sight. Make sure that he is in the company of his friends or with an adult when waiting for the bus or walking on the streets. Child safety in neighborhood means teaching him the emergency phone numbers in case he sense trouble. Most people use the slogan "stranger danger" to their children. However, don't let them get away with the idea that all strangers have bad intentions because most abduction and exploitation cases were done by people that the kids are familiar with.

There isn't really a 100% safe place for our children. No matter how we child-proof our homes or secure them from any threats in the neighborhood, some things may happen that wouldn't be much to our liking. You can't change how the bad guys think, but you can help your child avoid being an easy target.

Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster and owner of popular and comprehensive Child Safety information site. For more articles and resources on Child Safety related topics, visit his site at:

=>http://child-safety.need-to-know.net/

Stranger Danger - Teaching Abduction Safety to Children

Stranger Danger is one of the most important lessons for children to learn. We all know the catch phases like "Don't talk to strangers", "Never get into a car with a stranger", and "Don't take candy from a stranger." The phases are simple reminders for kids, but they can make the child insecure and fearful. How can we teach about stranger danger without scaring them or give them nightmares? Here's some quick tips to keeping your child safe.

What is a Stranger?

The first thing to teach children is the difference between a friend and a stranger. Statistics show that casual acquaintances perpetuate most abductions. Children wrongly assume that because the parent says "hi" to the clerk at the grocery store, that they are friends. Quiz your child in the difference between a stranger and a friend. Ask them if... a teacher is a friend or stranger, how about the cashier at Blockbuster, or your neighbor that you have know for 5 years, etc.? This drill is an excellent start.

Saying No to Adults

We teach our children to respect adult and listen to them so most children have difficulty say no to adults. Child Predators exploit this tendency to abduct children by telling them to get into a car with a stern voice. The stern voice makes the child feel they did something wrong and comply with the demands.

Teaching your child, that it is okay to say no to strangers and that they ALWAYS need to ask parent's permission first before meeting stranger's demands. Parents can role-play the parts of the stranger and have child say no.

What's the Secret Password?

In the case of an emergency, create a family password that only you and your child know. A friend may need to pick up your child at school or an activity. How does your child know that you asked them to pick them up and it's not a trick? Yes, you got it, the family password. The child asks the friend for the family password and if they know it, the child knows that you did send them and everything's okay. Don't forget to change the password once it is used.

Important Information your child should know

Teach your child some vital information will assist if they get lost. You should quiz them periodically to ensure they remember it. Give them lots of praise and attention for answering correctly. The vital information for the child to know is your full home address, home phone number, both parent's full names, and cell phone numbers. Many kids are shy around other adults so it's important to build their confidence so they can repeat the information to a police officer or another person trying to help.

Know thy enemy

Awareness is power in abduction safety. Parents should know if any child predators live in their area. Parents can go to http://www.familywatchdog.us to search for child predators with prior conviction in your area.

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com

Or...

Read more of Tim Rosanelli's articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Child Safety - Does Your Dog Have More Identification Than Your Child?

Take a moment and think about it. When you consider the fact that, as adults, we would never consider leaving the house without our id. We spend thousands on home and car alarms, we are even protecting our family pets with microchips; however, our most cherished possessions, our children, leave home without any identification.

Here are some questions:

- Have you taken the time to record your child's fingerprints, gather a hair sample for DNA purposes, record all his/her specific identification, including specific identifying features and a photograph of your child in a Child ID kit? If so, is it up to date?

- In the event of a motor vehicle accident, in which you have been rendered unconscious, do the emergency medical professionals have a quick way of accessing your child's specific medical history, including your child's blood type, medical provider, allergies, any medications they may be taking at the time, or, even your family's doctor's name and phone number?

- If you were on vacation with your children and they became lost or separated from you, or worse, arrived at a hospital, unconscious, as a John Doe, how or who would notify you and how would they know to do so?

- Do you or your husband, for that matter; carry your child's specific identification,

this should include an up to date picture?

- Do you, as responsible parents, take the time to talk with your children about child safety?

- If you became separated from your child in a crowd, would someone be able to contact you directly, or even know who your child was?

If your answer was no or I don't know, don't worry, you are not alone. The sad fact of the matter is that children do not carry identification; if they did they would likely loose it!

Given today's world, it's becoming a necessity for children to carry identification. This fact was clearly illustrated through recent tragic natural disasters such as the tsunami, hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Pakistan. With each of these disasters, we've witnessed far too many unidentified children.

When thinking of child identification, often, fingerprints and hair samples are the first things that enter our mind. There are far too many companies that profess to provide your child with identification.

Let me inform you that 99.9% of those companies are passive in nature.

Fingerprints, DNA information, pictures and even dental records will and are only ever used after the fact. Passive information. Think of it as locking the barn after the horse gets away. It's unfortunate that as parents, we feel that we have done all possible to protect our children by having recorded this information. This is the first step, and a very important step in the safety of your child; however, as a parent, the only time you ever want to look at your child's identification kit is and should be when you update it. This is a very important step towards safeguarding against the unthinkable. Few people are aware that children's fingerprints are actually changing for the first 4-5 years of their life; therefore, it is imperative that this information be updated at least once a year, and every 6 months for the first three years of a child's life.

When looking for a child identification provider, keep in mind the old adage " An once of prevention far outweighs a pound of cure". If all the company provides you with are a fingerprint kit, keep looking! One such proactive provider of child safety and identification is Child ID Labels inc.

The purpose of this article is not to alarm you but to inform you, as we are all aware, information is a powerful tool. If, in reading this, you took a moment to think about your child's safety, please email this article to as many people as you know and encourage them to do the same. Your children are, after all, your most valuable possessions as well as our future.

Scott Irwin is the Marketing Director for Child I.D. Labels inc. Founded in 1995, Child ID Labels has been protecting North American children for more than 10 years. For more information on their unique proactive approach to child identification and how you can help keep your children safe visit http://www.childidatlantic.com Child ID Labels inc. is growing and open to distributorship enquiries. Email us at info@childidatlantic.com.

Child Safety Should Be America's Top Priority

If not now, when will America come to terms with losing her children to abductions by adults and organizations targeting and trafficking our youth. Seems like every day you turn on the news or read the newspaper, another child has been abducted by a stranger or in some cases family members and parents.

Child abductions rank up there with high crimes, treason and terrorism. Why is it American citizens are not sick and tired of being sick and tired about this terrible problem?

Major television continues to produce shows about the glamorous lifestyle of her celebrities, while at the same time you hardly see or hear anything about the abduction of our countries most valuable assets, our children.

Child safety should be #1 in the hearts and minds of over 300 million citizens in the United States of America. If we are to be considered the lone super power in the world, then we had better darn well take care of our children.

Having grown up in a family of nine children, my mother and father did everything that could to protect us from any and all acts of deceit and deception by mentally unstable and mentally sick adults. Mind you my father did not play that game and every one in my community understood you do not mess with the Vann children and if you do, there would be a price to be paid to rectify the problem.

The fact that two parents are working in the household and strangers are raising children in day care centers throughout the country, it is no wonder the rate of child abductions and exploitation is at an all time high. It is a sad state of affairs for America, but you can do something to protect your children.

Visit my child safety website to learn more about my business and sign up to protect your children: www.childshieldusa.com/plvfoundation.

Thank you in advance for taking time out of your schedule to learn how you can make a world of difference providing safety for our children. If you have any questions contact me at (240) 476-8976.

Paul Lawrence Vann is a successful entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author of the book, Living on Higher Ground. He leads Fortune 500 companies, associations, government agencies, and eudcational institutions to achieve higher levels of excellence through his leadership and diversity strategies. Hos clients include MasterCard International, United States Air Force Academy, USEPA, National Military Family Association, Toastmasters International, John Hopkins University, and numerous other organizations. http://www.paullawrencevann.com, [http://www.livingonhigherground.com], http://pvann.blogspot.com, (800) 476-8976.

Child Safety Wristbands

Why is it that children seem to inherit the skills of the famous Harry Houdini? A few seconds away from your gaze and you realize that they have performed their disappearing act. No wonder some parents resort to putting their children on leashes when they go out. They are not exactly the ones we normally use on our pets. Try tying the leash on your kid's neck and you'll have the social welfare banging on your door. There are actually those that are attached to a child's wrist to ensure that he doesn't get too far away from mommy.

Still, there are parents who think that leashes, regardless where it is attached, sound barbaric. These aren't really designed to trample on human rights, but are just created to lessen the incidence of your child getting lost or abducted.

Places that are crowded such as parks, shopping centers, zoos, airports, sports venues and the like are the possible settings that your child could get lost in. If you are in the company of more than one child, it is not convenient to use the child leash. Unless you want to get all tangled holding on to those leashes, it would be more advisable to use the child safety wristbands. These do not limit the distance that your child can wander off from you but these can reunite you with them a lot faster in case they are lost.

Child safety wristbands, which mostly come in very bright colors, are more than just a fashion statement. These are actually a part of some safety initiatives to assist parents who have lost their children in crowded places. These child safety wristbands contain the parents' contact number. This information is essential so that you can be contacted once someone finds your child.

The child safety wristbands are basically the simplest and easiest to use among all child safety gadgets, yet one of the most effective. You don't have to hold on to your child's hand all the time while you are in a place swarming with people. Just be sure to educate your child on what to do in case he doesn't see you anywhere near him. Make sure that he knows where to go and who to ask help from in case he feels that he is lost.

The child safety wristbands do not totally eliminate the possibility of an abduction or other potential dangers. But they are a faster and less stressful way of being reunited with your "lost" child once again. The responsibility of ensuring your reunion with your child does not start and end with the child safety wristbands. It is your crucial role to educate your child on how to make the wristbands work best for him.

Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster and owner of popular and comprehensive Child Safety information site. For more articles and resources on Child Safety related topics, visit his site at:

=>http://child-safety.need-to-know.net/

Parenting Advice on Child Safety Precautions - Scare Tactics or Essential Modern Parenting?

Thirty five years ago I was seven years old, and the 1970's were approaching. This meant meant I was an unsuspecting subject for my mother's zany sewing experiments. Floral flairs with pompom fringing. Hmmm. Back then I walked the three mile round trip to school each day, ambling along like I had all the time in the world, blatantly picking flowers out of people's front gardens to give to my teacher so she wouldn't mention I was late. I vaguely recall the occassional 'stranger danger' message, but without actual case studies child abduction formed no more a part of parenting conversations back then as did the appropriate age for teenagers to get body piercings.

One of my favourite memories of those early days was visiting my cousins, whose house was in the suburbs but backed onto the beautiful Australian bush. It was in this bushland that the enormous water pipes lay, weaving their way like giant's hoses down to the river. We would climb up the pipes and literally run for what felt like miles, stopping only occasionally when someone was coming the other way at which point we had to sidle past them precariously so as not to fall the ten foot drop to the ground. I marvel now at the freedom we had, particularly considering it was well known that lone adults frequented 'walking the pipes'.

By age ten I regularly used to roam around the local shopping centre on my own, or rode my bike to one of the numerous suburban parks with a friend or without. Our fears were of nothing, other than suffering the repercussions of arriving home late for dinner. We all knew the 'weirdo's' to look out for. The man with mental problems who was notorious for yelling strange things out to kids; the old crazy lady who pushed a shopping trolley laden with plastic bags around the streets, but who mainly mumbled to herself. These were our local 'strangers'.

It's not often I reminisce on those days, but if I do it's when I look at my daughter and fleetingly compare the joy of freedom I had, compared to what I let her do alone today. Currently in her eyes I'm the worse mum in the world because she's not allowed to walk to school by herself. I chastise her every time she wanders off from me on shopping trips; when she opens the front door when I'm hanging the clothes on the line out the back yard, or when she goes out to the front garden without my knowing. Like many mums I did this for ages without giving her a real reason why I was cross. I was reluctant to put into her little head the idea that someone may take her, for fear of terrifying her about the world we live in and the capacity for some adults to do her harm.

The world we are raising our kids in now, while still beautiful in most respects, is filled with new dangers that none of our parent's had to concern themselves with. Just where do we learn what warning's are appropriate for young minds, without affecting the intrinsic inner beauty of children who love all without judgement?

Here in Australia we've been fairly lucky compared to statistics from overseas of children being abducted. Of course the parent's of 11 year old Daniel Morcombe who disappeared in Queensland a couple of years ago, would be forgiven for not agreeing. Still today, they are madly searching for any information about how their beautiful young son could simply vanish while waiting for a bus. Frankly I don't know how they have survived it.

Just how do we raise a child who is polite and friendly, while at the same time teach them that they're not to befriend or talk to any adult when we're not next to them? How do we effectively inform them about how to handle the unlikely scenario that someone may try to take them, but at the same time not terrify them about the world and the people in it? If we want them to grow up to always see the good in people, how do we temper this with coaching them that even pleasant looking people are capable of mean things? What about fostering their independence, when our heart lurches every time we lose sight of them at the busy local pool. Like any mother I have a passionate desire to keep my child safe in this world, but I'm also determined to ensure she is able to enjoy life freely, like all children should.

The last decade has brought with it a new strain of human sexual desire, fed constantly no doubt by the ease of private access to all things perverted over the internet. Ten short years ago a certain amount of conserted effort would have been required to gain access to images designed to satiate the desires of sick individuals. Clearly that percentage has multiplied to unknown proportions, now that the ease of access has been increased for more and more people. Just what is the flow down effect of this in terms of people feeling a need to act out their sexual fantasies? Only the next couple of decades will tell.

The sad reality is that the modern world has degenerated in its pursuit of personal sexual freedom and exploration, at the expense of those who are too young to defend themselves against it. Some may say that too much concern from parents about their children's personal safety is overkill and unnecessary, based on the statistics of the number of children abducted by strangers today. But this attitude to me is the same as those who think people are ridiculous for being fearful of flying, or swimming in the ocean. Yes the likelihood is remote that harm will come our way, but as a parent, that element of remoteness is enough to keep me ever vigilant where the safety of my child is concerned.

Jo-Anne Roland is the director of AmberWatch Australia [http://amberwatchaustralia.com/], the Australian distributor of the AmberWatch. Recently featured on CNN's Youth Trend Report and currently taking the child protection world by storm, the AmberWatch is being heralded as a 'first of it's kind' child prevention/protection product. For information on the US parent company please visit [http://www.amberwatchfoundation.com/].

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