Checklist of Rules for Parents To Teach Their Children About Safety When They Step Out of the House

We belong to those times when we played outside on the streets or in the neighborhood park or in a neighbour’s house till late, without our parents giving two hoots and a holler about it. But sadly, nowadays our children are not so fortunate enough, and sending them outside the house alone has become a nightmare for the parents. Even a half an hour delay in their reaching back home can give us a panic attack. Our prime concern as parents is the safety of our children, especially when we are living in such disturbing times wherein they are not safe even in their neighborhood. Horrifying incidents of children being kidnapped or murdered and/or raped can be read in the newspaper or watched on television every now and then. In a recent incident of kidnapping of a two-year-old girl by an auto driver, a case was registered by police in Rajivnagar, Karimnagar town. As the parents could not find the girl in the surrounding areas after doing a frantic search for quite some time, they complained to the police who later arrested the auto driver and handed over the child to her parents. However, not all stories have a happy ending like this. Kidnapping for ransom, assaults and murders of innocent children continue unabated. Since keeping our eyes glued on our children may not always be plausible for us, parents. However, the good news is we can still make our children aware of how they can protect themselves by implementing some basic rules which they can abide by.

Here is a checklist  of rules for parents  to teach their toddlers  while they venture outside the house:

1. Talk to your child about safety in age-appropriate language in a non-threatening way without frightening them. 
2. Teach your child his first name and last name and his parents’ first and last names.
3. Establish clear and specific rules to be followed especially when they are outside their house.
4. Let them know they need to get permission from you before they get into a conversation with a stranger or go out with any adult other than their parents. 
5. Guide them to inform a person who works at the store with a name tag to help them find you, in case they got lost. They should not leave the building where they lost you and remain there until you find them back. So next time you visit a mall, or a store, show them a few employees of the store in uniform and with a name tag to give them an idea whom to approach if need be.
6. Guide them not to accept any gifts such as candies, flowers, balloons, etc. from strangers other than their teachers, friends’ parents, babysitter, or relatives. You can role-play a few scenarios with them at home with you pretending to be the stranger who offers them a gift. 
7. Give them specific boundaries wherein you can guide them where they can be and where they can’t. For instance, “You can be on the swings and the slides but do not leave the park or go elsewhere without letting me know.”
8. Let them know they should not keep any secrets and that it is okay to share anything with you.

Here is a checklist  of rules for parents  to teach their preschoolers while they venture outside the house:

1. Teach your child the contact number of his parents, house address, and other essential details.

2. Give them a list of few trustworthy adults other than their parents with whom they can talk to.

3. Let your child and her class teacher know that in your absence all are trustworthy adults who might come to pick them up.

4. Teach them they should never wander off without an adult family member accompanying them.

5. Prepare them for dangerous scenarios by doing a role play with them wherein someone says to them, “Your mom/dad told me to ask you to come with me.” Instruct them not to believe them and scream for help.

6. Guide them not to do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable such as taking off clothes in front of others, hugging or kissing or sitting in the lap of someone when being told to or diving in a pool. Teach them to listen to their gut feeling.

7. Tell them to take a buddy along to the washroom so that if need be they can call for help.

Here is a checklist  of rules for parents  to teach their school-going children  while they venture outside the house:

1. Make them memorize a few basic contact details and emergency numbers that are most important for your child to know so that they are aware of whom to contact in case of an emergency. 

2. Take them for walks around your neighborhood often so that they become familiar with landmarks. 

3. Let your child know personal information should be kept personal and is not to be shared with strangers unless in an absolute emergency situation. They can seek permission from you before sharing any details with anyone other than the trusted adults.

4. They can be taught to politely refuse anything given by strangers such as a drink, candy, or anything tempting as it could be laced with something dangerous in it or it could be used as a method to lay the trap by being friendly with them.

5. Teach them no one except their parents are allowed to touch them. Talk to them about the good touch and the bad touch. Also, let them know they should scream for help and alert the people around them in case they do not feel safe or feel violated in any way.

6. Tell them to stay put and remain calm in case they get lost. They can ask a woman with children nearby for help or go to the checkout section in a supermarket or a store and seek help if they get lost.

7. Let them know that they need to be accompanied by an adult family member for example, be it their mom and dad, or grandparent in case they need to go out of the house.

Instead of disallowing children from going out or worrying and fretting while they venture out of home, it is the need of the hour to teach our children safety measures to which they should strictly adhere. Reiterate these safety measures until they remember these rules and follow these instructions clearly. Keep the communication channels open with your children so that they can share their heart out with you and have no secrets to keep. Work on the bond that you share with your child and guide them along the way.