You never know when it could be life-saving to do a quick sex offender NY search on a sex offender registry. You might find out that there is a person, or some people, in your neighborhood that you need to keep an eye on. It only takes a brief moment of distraction for a sexual predator to take advantage of and abduct an innocent child.
In just a single moment, a trip to the park with your kids can become a nightmare. In 2015 there were 466,949* cases of missing children. Although not all of these children are victims of abductions, few that are abducted live through the horror story. The heartwarming fact is 99.8%** of children that go missing return home. Out of all the children that do go missing, there are the unfortunate few that are kidnapped or taken by complete strangers. It’s estimated that this happens to around 100 children a year. In these cases, the sad reality is that only half of these children return home.
Good parenting prepares for every circumstance, no matter how unlikely, that could potentially harm a child. Well vigilance and over watch are key factors in keeping a child safe from a kidnapper. In the moment, a child should know exactly what to do. This means having the skills to defend themselves and even escape.
Keeping this in mind, below are three key potentially life-saving skills every parent should go over with their young ones.
Table of Contents
Self-awareness:
The importance of teaching your child how to be self-aware cannot be stressed enough. Understanding one’s surroundings and knowing who’s around are both important. The child should know where the closest exits are in case of an emergency. Teaching your child to act fast and at the right moment could help them get home safe and sound. It could also save their life if they are physically fit and strong enough to escape the environment and run away.
Screaming:
Alerting everyone in the area to what is happening while attracting the attention of others could potentially scare off the criminal or hopefully attract the attention of someone that can help your child. Having them practice screaming their lungs out can be annoying, but is extremely important to engraving the skill that they might need in the moment. On top of screaming, pounding on walls, slamming pots and pans together, honking the horn, and any other loud attention-drawing actions could save a life.
 Fighting:
Kicking, clawing, spitting, and punching are all critical, but more than that, biting is one of the most powerful tools in a child’s arsenal. Practicing these skills is difficult, and simply talking about them can be enough to help your child in the moment. Enrolling your child in self-defense classes is a good place for them to learn discipline and self-control.
Weapons:
Although there may be a lot of parents out there that frown on teaching their children how to use weapons, you never know when it might come in handy. A pocket knife or a baseball bat are a couple of items that could very easily stop a sexual predator in their tracks.
Be Prepared:
Preparation is your best defense against abduction as a parent. Teaching your child the skills they need to escape can be the difference between a child coming home safe or not at all. Simple things such as screaming, biting, and running can mean the difference between a child’s disappearance and their safe return home. Remind your children of the dangers of strangers and stress the importance of self-awareness. Watch your children when they are at the playground, and always be aware of where they are even if they are not in your immediate vision. Being vigilant will ensure that your children stay safe.
***Registered Offenders List is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and resources to its visitors regarding registered sex offenders that live near you.Â
