Sometimes You Just Gotta Yell And Scream!!

When I was little we used to listen to an album called The Safety Kids.  The basically taught kids safety tips through songs sung by club of kids teaching each other said rules.  We listened to it all the time!

It taught kids how to trust their gut, how to get help and knowing your personal information like address and phone number.
Sadly creeps have gotten creepier.  Some stuff should probably be added.  My family still sings my favorite track which is Sometimes You Just Gotta Yell And Scream!!  It's a classic.  end of part 4.

We spend so much time telling kids to be polite and respectful.  We often forget to tell them it's better to be safe then polite and they can walk away from ANYONE if they feel uncomfortable.

Also, strangers aren't always creepy.  Most of the people who do things inappropriate to your child  is someone they know and aren't initially suspicious of.  You have a cousin who only wants to play with the kids and not really hang out with adults?  keep and eye on them.  A teacher who thinks your child is very gifted and offers special attention or help?  Ask what they would recommended and do it yourself.  An adult giving your child random gifts?  Not cool.
Kids need to know that ANYONE could hurt them.  Not to say EVERYONE will hurt them but they need to know were the lines are and that if someone comes near enough that they feel "weird" inside they should leave and tell a trusted adult IMMEDIATELY.  It doesn't matter if the person is a friend or not.  Creeps play on children's compassion.  They ask them to please not tell because they could get in trouble and they thought they were friends. Make sure your child knows that a friend that asks them to keep a secret  from their parents is NOT a real friend.

Also a tip I found that had never occurred to me before was to teach your kids the correct name for their genitals.  This is because creeps aren't going to talk to you kid about their vagina or penis.  It ups the suspicious factor  and they don't want to do that.  That way if your kid starts calling her vagina a cupcake then you know some thing's up.

One Saturday morning when when Isa was little (4 or 5ish) Josh was being amazing and had gotten up this her so I could sleep in I woke up to a conversation that I hoped was a dream.  We were living in a small studio apartment so the living room was about 5 feet from my bed.  Here is what I heard.

Isa: Daddy do you know why this doll is dirty?

Josh: No, why?

Isa:  Because blank put her in my underwear.

The silence felt like it lasted forever.  I lay frozen in my bed unable to move.   Josh, played it cool like a pro.  One of the most important things to do if you child comes to you with something is to NOT FREAK OUT.  Hard I know, but you need to make sure your child knows they did the right thing by telling you and if you freak out they will know they upset you and are less likely to tell you if it happens again.

Josh:  Really?  That sounds weird.  Why did they do that? Was anyone else there?

By playing it cool he was able to put Isa at ease so she felt comfortable answering all our questions.  Let's be honest, we would all have a million questions to ask our kid if they said that.

After further investigation and consulting her pediatrician we determined that nothing traumatic had happened.  Thank goodness.  I hated thinking not only that someone we knew might have been capable of doing something like that but that I had let it happen.  I felt helpless.  I realized that I couldn't totally protect her and that sucked.  Now I make sure to help her be prepared to handle and hopefully avoid future situations.  Kids need to know not only how to get out of bad situations but how to avoid them.  I would rather have a cautious kid then a dead one.  Educate yourselves so you can educate them.