PROTECTING YOUR CHILD

PROTECTING THE GIFT

 

In a recent post I talked about the abduction and murder of 13 year old Esme Kenney.  Esme was attacked on a public recreation path less than 500 yards from her Cincinnati, Ohio home.  Predictably, though, the child was not killed on the path, which was the initial crime scene.  That grisly act was committed in the nearby woods – the secondary crime scene.

 

The perplexing question has to be, what can a parent do to protect the child?  Of course, the second question must be what can the child do to prevent his or her abduction and/or murder?

 

Ordinarily, I would counsel the parent to constrain the child from going off by herself.  But 13 is about the age when parents begin to loosen the reins, so to speak, plus, the girl was only 200 yards from her house! 

 

Parents need to be aware the children have been taken from inside their own homes, swiped out of their front yards while the parents were inside.  It happens so damn quickly, and, worse, most sexual predators are a deadly combination of out of control desires and seeker of thrills, that, often, the only thing that will deter the abductor is both parents to be right there.

 

So, once again I wonder what is the answer?  Truthfully, there is no “answer.”  Only strategies to maximize the survival quotient of your child and minimize the opportunity for the predator to strike.  If you have followed some of my posts, you also know there must be strategies for the child to fall back on if and when she or he is attacked.

 

  • Parents who intend to safeguard their child must take the role of Safety Coaches.
  • Safety Coaches need to provide full time encouragement, support and survival training for their child.
  • Recommended Safety Coach’s Curriculum.

Ø     Play the “What If Game” with the child.  Make it fun and as non-threatening as possible.  The coach feeds the child situations involving other adults and the child comes up with responses as to what he/she would do.

Ø     Talk to the child about adults and which of them the child should trust or not trust.  Come up with categories that indicate those whom the child should trust – a very small group – and those you should not.

Ø     Teach Principles, such as to never leave the scene with any adult who is not on your “always trust” list.  Also, never, ever go anywhere with any adult for any reason.

Ø     Teach the Principle of RAP.  Always Recognize potential danger (I have gone into Signatures of Danger in previous posts); be Alert and Aware of adults who do not “belong” in this environment, who are paying too much attention to you, who are “sharking” the area (driving back and forth), etc. Also, always Assess yourself and others on the scene.  Check out the body language, movement, etc. of the adult on the scene, but even more importantly, Assess your gut feelings.  When you get that creepy feeling, it is your gut-instincts telling you to get the heck out.  Your instincts are hardly ever wrong.  Position Yourself For Safety, an important preventive step which includes:

  • Buddy System.  Always have at least one other child with you.  Just having one other child present reduces the chances of being approached by as much as 75%.
  • Distance.  Put as much space as possible between you and that strange adult as safely possible.  Don’t try to hide in a secluded spot, though.  If you do, you are playing right into the pervert’s plans.
  • Find A Safe-Looking Adult With Children.  Teach your children to never be along in an isolated area.  This is the Ideal Hunting Ground for the predator,  That being said, there should be others around when you suspect you are being sharked.  Run to an adult who you have seen with his or her children in the past and you believe is safe.  Failing that, go to an adult accompanied by his or her children.

Ø     ACT NUTZ.  The abductor is looking for several characteristics in the ideal victim. 

  • The child should be isolated.
  • The child should be quiet when approached.
  • The child should be polite, shy even.
  • The child should allow the abductor to approach, grab and carry him/.her off with speed and without alarming witnesses.

        

Ø     Therefore, parents might want to teach their child to be as noisy and as uncooperative as possible.

 

Until the next post, please Stay Safe.

 

Hammer

      

 

 

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