The recent abductions...

[RCT]

Ok, how come no one is talking about these? I have to admit that for the last couple of weeks I have been waking up in the middle of the night just to go into the childrens rooms and check on them....I am usually not like that...but with the recent abductions of those two young girls that were murdered and then here in CA, two teens who were kidnapped and raped....I am starting to get alittle paranoid....since we moved I won't let the kids play out front of our house only in the back yard.....I get wierd about them yelling each others names back and forth in the store....

Is it just me? anyone else feel really icky in the pit of your stomach about all this...fear....fear about the unknown....

anyone care to share their feelings on this? your family security ideas :idea:

We have a code word now for our kids...a word that only people who mommy and daddy trust would have...so if anyone ever says "your mommy sent me to pick you up" they would have to know the code word....

[arianna]

MM! We just finished this conversation at dinner tonight. We established a code word and went over a few safety rules. I heard the President yesterday give a speech on how we as parents can help keep our kids safe. Here's the link:
http://www.missingkids.com/

ßß!

[Lynda-WA]

We've had a code word for as long as I can remember.

I quit watching Oprah because I felt she was getting preachy but prior to that she had some wonderful shows. One was on child abductions and featured tips. For example - ask a young child what a bad man looks like. I did this with DS when he was in K. His answer sounded very tipical for that age group. Someone that looks scary or mean. Some of the kids featured even said someone wearing black. After that we sat down and had a talk. Nobody touches you were your swimsuit goes.

One thing that offended my in-laws was that I told the kids if they ever didn't want someone to touch them, they couldn't touch them. Trust you *tummy* or your feelings. I think the kids were testing us because once they didn't want the in-laws to hug them when we left from a visit. I told the kids that was fine (Not that I worry about the in-laws). They kept trying to tell the kids give so and so a hug and I finally had to say *no, they don't want to*. They give me one of those looks. Better me then the kids.

And if they are one a bike, tell them to hold on to that bike no matter what. They should rap themselves around the bike. A kidnapper can't fit the bike into the car and will have difficulty getting them loose from the bike.

And if they do get them into the car, the child should crawl over the seat to the back to get out. If they try going out the front door the abductor can reach across the front seat. A child can crawl over the back seat faster then any adult. Then head out the passenger side door.

Everyone talks about the offering candy but that one isn't used anyweres near as much as *Have you seen my cat/dog?* because they can show a picture for that. Or asking for directions while holding a map. Point out to the kids that if they have a map, they know as much as the kids anyways and when do adults ever ask kids for directions? Or asking for help like carrying something.

I did mention the abductions on the debate board. A local teen (16) staged her own abduction the week prior to the two girls in CA being kidnapped. A hot topic in this area was already the abductions of two teens a couple of months ago. That really, really upset many people around here. It reportedly costed the police 50,000 to look for her. She isn't being charged with anything.

[Diane]

I talked with my day care kids about this the other day too. I NEVER let them go outside by themselves... so I don't worry about them being abducted from my house but I do know how "too friendly" they can be with strangers who are walking down the street. It's hard to talk with them about this without scaring them a little bit... but then I guess I'd rather have them a little bit scared and cautions than not know or understand how serious this is and end up getting abducted. I told the parents what we discussed... and they were all going to go home and add their 2 cents. Hopefully between the three of us, something we've told them will sink in and when/if the situation ever arises... they'll remember and do the right thing.

I also worry about my youngest dd... Sometimes she has to close... and doesn’t come home until real late. 8o All of the employees will usually walk out to their car's together... but sometimes I worry about if her car were to ever break down on the highway or if she ever got a flat tire. We've got cell phones... but dh usually has one and my other dd usually has the other one because she works farther away than dd #3 does. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get another one... I just think it's a real shame that we can't trust our children going outside by themselves anymore... being able to go for walks or ride their bikes with friends like we use to be able to do... or just to play outside in their own yards. 8o Heck, I remember walking and playing in the park all by myself... No way I’d ever allow any of my kids, even at their ages to go to the park by themselves... What freedom our children have lost just because of a bunch of weirdo’s... 8o

Diane... :wave:

[vea29]

I just had this conversation with my ex co teacher... I guess one of the parents to their child about strangers and to her that if she saw a stranger to kick at them and beat them up....I think she was trying to say that if a stranger tried to take her to do that...but that's not what the child took from it.

She spent the next day at the day care yelling "yelling he's a stranger (pointing to a dck) and then tackling them and hitting them".

It seems to me that the child took away the message that if they see a stranger on the street they should beat up the stranger.
I told my co teacher that she needs to clearify it to the parent so they could straighten it out.

So my advice is just be careful of how you word things...cause it could put the kids in more danger then before!!!

Sorry so long!!!!

Vea

[RCT]

Originally posted by Lynda-WA


One thing that offended my in-laws was that I told the kids if they ever didn't want someone to touch them, they couldn't touch them. Trust you *tummy* or your feelings. I think the kids were testing us because once they didn't want the in-laws to hug them when we left from a visit. I told the kids that was fine (Not that I worry about the in-laws). They kept trying to tell the kids give so and so a hug and I finally had to say *no, they don't want to*. They give me one of those looks. Better me then the kids.


we did the same with our kids....if you don't feel comfortable hugging or being hugged or touched...its ok to say so.....hey...too bad for the inlaws....