Keeping Children Safe on Halloween

 

 

This old Scottish saying captures the appropriate ambiance of Halloween: “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!”

Parents need to be aware of the potential dangers that children can face trick-or-treating on Halloween if safety measures aren’t taken. One danger for children while trick-or-treating is the risk of not being seen by drivers. Parents should be sure their children wear costumes that are highly visible. Children should wear reflectors, and carry flashlights. Halloween-themed flashlights and reflectors can be purchased in most stores that sell Halloween paraphernalia.

 

Small children should never trick-or-treat without a supervising adult. Parents or some other responsible adult should accompany all children while trick-or-treating. Very young children need to have the parent or other responsible adult walk them up to the door. It is ok for older children to walk and trick-or-treat a house or two ahead, but they should always be within eyesight of their parents or other accompanying adult.

Some parents may elect to use some form of GPS tracking device that can be attached to the child’s costume or make using of the tracking feature on most cell phones. This would be one way to help locate a children who may have strayed away or got separated from their parents or accompanying adult.

 

Children, before going trick-or-treating, should learn about stranger safety and learn about the common predator lures. Such safety information is presented in a very kid-friendly way in my award-winning book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers.
 

Finally, parents should inspect their children’s candy once the child gets home. Suspicious looking candy or candy that has open wrappers should be disposed of right away. Homemade treats should be disposed of, as well.
 

It’s important that children have a fun and memorable Halloween experience, but it’s even more important that they are kept safe in the process.


 

 

Picture credit: Nick Goodchild  



Teaching Children to Stay Safe from Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation or Abduction: Tips and Educational Conference Information for Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, and Other Child Caregivers

 

 

I want to share with my readers some very helpful information and resources about the role of adults in teaching children to take a pro-active role in staying safe and becoming street-smart kids. Street-smart kids know when and around whom they need to exercise caution. They know the safest actions to take in the face of potentially threatening situations, and they are wise to the common predator lures. Street-smart kids also know that they should always tell a trusted adult anytime anything scary or bad happens to them.

It does, indeed, take a village to raise a child. That is why I want to share with my readers two important educational conferences that parents, grandparents, teachers, child caregivers, and any adults concerned about the safety of children can attend in order to learn how to raise and educate street-smart kids. These are conferences in which I will be presenting such vital information to registrants. I also want to share with my readers a sneak peek / tips from the parent and teacher chapter of my award-winning book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers.

Conference Information:

Headline Books is offering an educational conference  (“Festival of Writers” ) at the Holiday Inn Express on Civic Center Drive in Charleston, WV. The conference will be held on Friday, October 12th, with the WV Book Festival to follow in the Charleston Civic Center on Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th. Some Headline books authors, myself included, will be presenting workshops on October 12th at this educational conference and will be in attendance at the WV Book Festival on October 13 - 14th. Please read more information about and register for the Headline Books Conference.

 

 

The West Virginia Reading Association Conference at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV: I will be a presenter at the WVRA Conference being held on November 15 – 16, 2012. I will be presenting to the conference, on November 15, 2012, a session called, The Role of Educators in Protecting Children from Abuse, Abduction, or Predator Harm: A Teaching Unit.

To attend my session at the conference, please read more information about and register for the WVRA Conference.

 

 

A sneak peek / tip from the parent and teacher chapter of What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers:

“Parenting in these increasingly complex and troubled times is challenging to say the least.  Recent headlines of child abductions and of children who have been the victims of sexual predators heighten parental concern and make the challenge an even more difficult one.  How can you, as a parent, protect your children from such harm without making them afraid and distrustful of people in general?  It is a difficult balance, but it can be done. 

The key is to teach your children, in a non-threatening way, to exercise caution, to be empowered, and to trust their instincts.  You must start by retiring the phrase, stranger danger.  Such an expression can make your children think that all strangers are dangerous and bad.  That is a misconception, of course.  It is necessary, however, that you help children determine whom they can trust.  The best way to do that is to teach your children to think of categories of people.”

(The above is excerpted from chapter 5 of the book. The category system is explained in detail in chapter 5 of the book.) 

 

( Below is the second excerpt from chapter 5, the parent / teacher chapter. Detailed information about the safety measures referenced that child caregivers can take to better protect children are itemized in chapter 5.)

“This guidebook teaches children to take a proactive role in staying safe by having them brainstorm solutions to possibly threatening situations.  Such a solve-it-yourself strategy can make children feel more in control of frightening topics they hear addressed in the nightly news.   The precautions, safety strategies, and self defense techniques taught in the handbook are measures that are encouraged by law enforcement officials and networks of organizations dedicated to child safety, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and other child safety resources. 

Parental rules for children can be varied from one family to the next.  So be sure to review and discuss with your children the strategies suggested in the guidebook and appropriately adapt them to your own circumstance and age of children.

Empowering children is just one step though.  There are safety measures that parents, grandparents and caretakers can employ to better ensure that their children stay safe.”

• For more information about my award-winning book and to access useful educational resources for children and child caregivers, please visit my book website, Melissa HarkerRidenour Books.



Getting Children Started on a Safe and Positive New School Year

"Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel, and shining morning face, creeping like a snail, unwillingly to school." This quote from Shakespeare’s As You Like It, give us a vivid description of the dread and trepidation that some children face when starting a new school year. It doesn’t have to be that way, however.

Parents can play a very effective role in getting their children off to a good start for the new school year. To do so, parents must see their role as being one that involves more than just purchasing their children’s school supplies and new school clothes. Parents have an additional and important role that can positively impact their children’s attitudes about school, success in school, and safety in school.

Affecting Children’s Attitude about School

Ted Feinberg, EdD and member of the National Association of School Psychologists, advises,
“Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.”

Parents can help their children have a better attitude about returning to school by planning ahead and exhibiting a positive attitude about school themselves. Before school starts, parents should make sure their children are in good mental and physical health with medical, dental, and visual check-ups.

Parents should carefully review any material sent by the school before school begins and during the school year. Parents should familiarize themselves with their children’s teachers, room numbers, school supply requirements, sign-ups for extra-curricular sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms. Parents may also want to consider taking advantage of any school volunteer opportunities. Parents who stay involved in the school foster better attitudes about school in their children.

Affecting Children’s Success in School

With the start of the new school year establish bedtime and mealtime routines. Parents should talk to their children about the benefits of school routines so that they will not become overly tired or overwhelmed by school work and after-school activities.

Part of the routine should be to turn off the television shortly before bedtime and, instead, encourage them to play quiet games, or do puzzles and flash cards. Parents should endeavor to maintain this practice throughout the school year.

Parents should designate a spacious and quiet place for their children to do homework. Parents can give older children the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Parents with younger children, however, should designate a quiet area in the family room or kitchen in order to facilitate adult monitoring, and any needed supervision or encouragement. In addition, parents should encourage children to do their homework before any television or play activities. Homework should be done without the distraction of television or any other kind of auditory or visual distraction.

Affecting a Safe School Year for Children

Parents should talk to their children about school playground safety and about riding the school bus safely. In addition parents should teach children how to stay safe in going to and from school. My book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers, teaches that the buddy system is a good safety strategy for children. Children should never walk to and from school alone. Young children should be accompanied by an adult if they must walk to school. Older children should walk to and from school with a friend.

If parents normally drive their children to and from school, parents should instruct their children always to wait in a safe place to be picked up by them after school, and parents should strive to be on time in picking up their children after school. If children can wait inside the school, that is the safest thing to do. If children must wait outside, however, parents should insist that they wait in a safe spot right in front of the school where there will be other children and teachers around.

My book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers, also offers safety strategies for children who must wait at a school bus stop. Children should never wait at a school bus stop alone. The safest strategy, particularly for small children is to have their parents wait with them. Parents may consider organizing with other parents to take turns waiting with children at the school bus stop. Such an organization of parents is sometimes referred to as Block Parents. After all, as it has been said, “It takes a village….”

My book also teaches children, while waiting at the school bus stop, to stay as far away from the street as possible. The more children at the bus stop, the safer. Small children should stand in the middle of the group of other children for better protection.

Bullying can also present a serious problem for children and teens when they return to school. Bullying is an increasing threat to the happiness, security, and safety of children.  Parents can better help their children deal with any potential bullying dilemma by reading and teaching their children the strategies offered in my article“CopingWith a Bully: How to Stop Bullying”

In conclusion, parents who employ all of these back-to-school practices can better guarantee a healthier, happier, safer, and more successful school year.

Photograph credit: Guillermo Ossa





The following post is a guest post by Brooke Kerwin. Brooke is a creative writer from Central Michigan University. As an aspiring writer, she specializes in writing about local community issues.

 Preventing and Treating Alcohol Addiction in Children

Alcohol addiction and abuse are well documented problems for adults in society across all demographics. Unfortunately, it is a problem that children and teenagers can also encounter while growing up. The prevalence of alcohol in homes and the media portrayal of its use sometimes cause children to experiment with the substance before their bodies are able to process the chemicals. Additionally, misconceptions about the social acceptance of alcohol abuse can make the problem even worse.

There are many reasons why a child might start to experiment with alcohol. Peer pressure can have a dramatic impact on the actions of a child. It only takes the behavior of one friend to influence an entire peer group. This can establish behavior patterns that result in binge drinking or drinking while at school or home. Another contributing factor can be the alcohol consumption habits of the parents. Children who watch parents drink regularly might not understand the actual effects of the liquor on the body and mind. Finally, some children are thought to have genetic predispositions that make addictive behaviors more likely even without other external factors.

Parents need to be especially concerned about alcohol addiction in children. If the problem is not identified and dealt with early on, then it can establish habits that will carry on into adulthood. Another problem is that even very minor alcohol consumption by young children and teenagers can have detrimental effects on growth and development. The nervous system and brain could develop abnormally because of the effects of alcohol. This can result in long-term problems such as learning disabilities and potentially brain damage if enough liquor is consumed.

There are several steps that parents can take in order to prevent children from experiencing problems with alcohol. Parents should avoid drinking in front of children or should only do so responsibly. Liquor that is kept in the home should be stored in a location that is not accessible or even visible to children. This will prevent innocent experimentation that can lead to bad decisions later. A very important step is to establish a dialog with children so that the issue can be discussed. There are many media images that can be confusing or that might seem to endorse alcohol abuse. Talking to children about these incidents will help to establish a firm understanding that alcohol abuse is not socially acceptable, healthy or, in any way, glamorous.

Parents should remain very aware of any issues that could indicate that a child has a problem with alcohol. Smells and empty containers should be a simple indication that something is happening. Changes in normal behaviors could be the result of intoxication and should be questioned. Long periods of time spent alone, sudden poor grades, missing money, and new unknown friends can all be the result of an alcohol addiction that has grown out of control. The addiction will eventually result in increasingly risky behaviors that become harder to stop the longer they are allowed to continue.

A parent who is dealing with a child that is abusing alcohol has several options. The most effective is to place the child in an inpatient alcohol treatment center. This is a program that will work to break habits and provide the child with tools that can be used every single day to combat the addiction. This should be followed by outpatient treatment where regular counseling is received as frequently as needed. A very severe alcohol addiction can affect a child straight into adulthood if actions are not taken to break the psychological and physical dependencies early.

Stranger Safety Rap Book Trailer for What Would You Do? A Kid's Guide to...

Teaching Children Escape Strategies if Grabbed by a Predator

            Two young girls from Evansdale, Iowa have been reported missing on Friday after the two cousins went for a bicycle ride together and did not return home. Their bicycles were found abandoned near a lake. We all hope and pray for the safe return of both little girls. Their disappearance, however, is a cautionary tale.

             My book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers, teaches children how to avoid being grabbed by a potential predator, and how to fight back to escape if they are grabbed. The book even offers strategies for children to employ if they are unable to escape the grab and are put into a car. Parents should practice all the strategies in the book with their children.

            The book stresses using the buddy system, a very good strategy for all children. Children should never go anywhere alone. However, the possibility exists that even the buddy system may have failed the two Iowa girls, as they are both missing.

Both girls were on a bicycle ride together when last seen. What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers explains one particular escape strategy that would be a good one for children to try if they are riding a bicycle when approached by a potential predator. A child  who has been grabbed by a potential predator, while screaming something specific, such as “Stranger 911” or “Help! I don’t know this person”, should also kick, punch, scratch pull hair, wriggle around as much as possible to escape the grasp. If a child is on a bicycle, as the two young cousins from Iowa were when last seen, the child should try to keep holding on to the bicycle. This will make it harder for the abductor to pick up the child.

            Even though the buddy system is a good strategy for children, it can sometimes fail to protect. Children, who are with a friend and are confronted by a potential abductor, may be reluctant to leave the side of the friend. If we are to believe the character, Maverick, from the film, Top Gun, we never abandon our Wing Man. However, former FBI profiler, Clint Van Zandt, has suggested that when two children are confronted by a potential abductor, the children should run in opposite directions. The abductor cannot easily pursue both. He will have to choose which to pursue. The other can run for help.

An ideal scenario would be one in which both children, using such a strategy, manage to escape to safety. However, we don’t live in an ideal world. That is why it is important that children be taught the right thing to do whenever faced with such threats.

Picture credit: Anissa Thompson



It Takes a Village: Failure to Protect the Jerry Sandusky Sexual Abuse Victims

Hillary Clinton’s book, It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, presents a vision for America’s children. It focuses on the positive impact that both individuals and groups outside of the family have on the well-being of all children. Hillary Clinton advocated for a society which meets all children’s needs. Penn State University, in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, failed to meet children’s needs. They failed to protect Sandusky’s victims or even take appropriate disciplinary or legal action.

In the wake of the scandal, the Penn State Board of Trustees admitted failure in its obligation to the university and to the victims. Kenneth C. Frazier, the board member who chaired an investigations task force, said, “We are accountable for what’s happened here. An event like this can never happen again in the Penn State University community.”

One would hope that the outrage over the Sandusky sex abuse scandal and the failure to protect the victims results in our society reaching a point in which we expect the same bravery and sense of responsibility of adults to report suspected child abuse, as we expect of victims in coming forth with disclosures of their abuse.

It does, indeed, take a village. Every adult must claim responsibility for protecting children. Such responsibility begins with learning the signs of abuse and educating oneself, one’s neighbors, colleagues, and family members about child abuse.

Children must be taught body safety. They must be taught about safe and unsafe touches. Children must be taught to whom they can turn for help if they ever receive a touch that makes them feel uncomfortable or are harmed or abused in any way.

My book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers, addresses the issue of good touch and bad touch and teaches children always to tell if they have been abused or fear abuse. Even though my book teaches children to take a pro-active role in staying safe, the ultimate responsibility still lies with adults. It is not the responsibility of children to protect themselves. It is the responsibility of adults to do so.