Family Safety: Three Things All Kids Should Know

Any responsible adult who has ever spent any time looking after young children knows how quickly they can seem to “disappear.” We’ve all had that heart stopping moment in a store, at an amusement park, or some other public place where we cannot locate the little guy or girl that was holding our hand a moment earlier. Usually, the situation is resolved quickly and without too much commotion, but it may serve as reminder that the possibility of a youngster getting lost is a reality.

Fortunately, in this type of situation, most people are able to recognize that a young child has been separated from their caregiver and will do their best to offer help and comfort to the child. However, the possibility does exist for a youngster to be harmed by someone who wishes to take advantage of the situation. Even if the child isn’t in any immediate danger, it is in everybody’s best interest for the youngster to be returned to his parents as quickly as possible.

In the event of a separation from a parent, young children should be taught what to do and whom to seek help from so they do not panic and make a bad decision. For starters, there are three important pieces of information that every child should memorize to help them get reunited with mom or dad as quickly as possible (after they locate help):

#1.) Mom and Dad’s full names

#2.) Home telephone number

#3.) Home address

Many parents wonder when children become capable of learning and remembering their address and telephone number. Harvard researchers discovered that children as young as age 2 developed memories strong enough to repeat tasks shown to them months earlier, though in my experience a child’s ability to memorize a string of information (house number, street name, state) can vary greatly depending on the individual. Most 4-year-olds are very capable of memorizing their complete address, telephone number, etc. with some practice.

Many separations occur in a large store or a shopping mall. Amusement parks and outdoor events are also common places for children to get separated. It is of critical importance for your child to understand who should be approached for assistance. Obviously, you do not want your child walking around announcing that he or she is lost.

In a store, children should be taught to approach an employee such as a cashier or security guard who is located in the front of the store. In the event that the separation occurs somewhere other than a store or an employee cannot be easily located, kids should be taught to look for a mom who has children with her. In the event that a mom with children is not around, teach your children to look for an adult female, as this is usually a safer bet than an adult male. Furthermore, be sure to teach your children to stay put if they become separated and not to exit the building or event.

The next step after teaching your youngster is to role play at home or even in safe public spaces. Be sure to role play in a positive manner as younger children can become frightened if there is too much intensity.

There is no way to be 100% certain that your child will respond properly if he or she gets lost, but proper education and role playing will definitely increase the probablility of success if the situation should occur.