I recently became aware of a situation that bears repeating.  It involves two young children who found themselves lost in the woods and went to a house for help.

Two cousins, an eleven year old girl and an eight year old boy walked back into the woods on the family’s property to go play in their fort.  A while later the father received a phone call from the children that they had gotten lost and were at a house of someone who let them use the phone.

The father was obviously shaken by this event but relieved when he was reunited with the children.  He was also somewhat baffled that his daughter would go into a stranger’s home to use a phone.  This was a topic that they discussed repeatedly, and he was confident that his little princess was well versed in Stranger Danger.

She explained to her dad that they became twisted around in the woods and couldn’t find their way back.  They kept walking until they came to a road, found a house, knocked on the door and asked to use the phone.  It wasn’t until the little cousin walked into the house that the older girl felt responsible to go into the house to retrieve him.

All turned out well in this situation but it could have gone horribly wrong.  It also serves as a very real example that while you may be comfortable that your children know what to do or not to do with regard to interaction with strangers, children are not as equipped to make the best choices in the event of an unexpected occurrence – such as the cousin walking into the stranger’s house.

What could the children have done differently? Read the rest of this entry »

Amusement Parks No Place for Complacency

Summer is here and kids both young and young at heart love amusement parks.  One doesn’t need to drive too far to find one of many scattered across the country.

Before you go, keep in mind these three important tips to ensure your personal safety.

1.    Use lockers to store valuables or keep your necessities with you at all times. Today’s amusement parks now have some fantastic water rides.  Nothing says cool off better than a trip up the Lazy River or down the Adventure Falls.  Signage warns, “You will get soaked”.   Most parks now have barrels or shelving where you can place your belongings before boarding the water ride.  Anyone with a backpack, cell phone or wallet certainly would not want to have those items drenched; therefore they set their items in a staging area to ensure they stay dry.  However signage also warns, ‘Not responsible for lost or stolen items’.  The staging location is not manned or monitored.  Anyone could walk over to the shelves and grab any backpack or tote bag that looked interesting.  Unknowing ride passengers have just made their wallet, cell phone, keys and personal information available to a complete stranger.  Next time, opt for a zip lock bag to store your valuables, place them inside a backpack and take everything with you on the water ride.  So what if your tote gets wet; your personal information will remain secure at your side. Read the rest of this entry »

On old 1940’s TV show called You Bet Your Life, hosted by Grocho Marx, one of the segments revolved around whether a contestant would say the “secret word”, a common word revealed to the audience at the show’s outset. If a contestant said the word, a toy duck resembling Groucho with a mustache and eyeglasses, and with a cigar in its bill, descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 bill.

More recently, on the Ellen Degeneres talk show, she too likes to play a version of Guess the Secret Word. It’s pretty hilarious as she baits her celebrity guests in the most unusual way to get them to say her secret word.

While having a secret word can certainly be entertaining it, it can also be a serious subject and can potentially save lives and prevent child abductions. The information below is relevant whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler.

From the time your child is old enough to understand verbal communication he or she should know the family secret word. It’s not to be shared with others but only used in the event that you need someone else, someone different, to pick up your child from school, daycare, practice or wherever your child may be that you are not.

If you are normally the one to pick up your child and you become detained for whatever reason, you likely have a backup – friend, neighbor or relative who will retrieve your child. Likely your child will know this person and have no problems getting into a vehicle with the substitute taxi driver. Read the rest of this entry »