Scary isn’t it? The number of children abducted each year. In fact, a child goes missing or is abducted every 40 seconds in the United States. What would your child do if a stranger approached them, and asked them to go with them? Watch this video to see how children react to a stranger, and see how easy it is to gain a child’s trust. This man gets children to go with him by being friendly and enthusiastic, and having a cute pet. It doesn’t take him very long either. Any parent distracted by a phone call, or a text message, could easily look away. And when they looked back their child would be gone.
Fortunately, this is a social experiment, that this man hopes will save lives.
So, what can you do to prevent your child being taken? There are a number of tips for preventing child abduction, but it does depend on the age of the child. Older children can learn to look after themselves, and have a better understanding. You can explain that a stranger is anyone who has not been to your home regularly, or whatever other definition you and your family decide on.
For children who are younger than school age, the best thing you can do is to know exactly where your kids are. At all times. Really young kids just don’t understand what a stranger is. They think they’ll stand out the way they often do on the TV. They don’t realize that the friendly looking person they just spoke to in the playground was a stranger. Even if you point it out to them. It’s up to you to keep a close eye on your children. To know where they are, and to be alert without being alarmed.
Give them enough room to play and explore, but keep them in sight. It really is as simple as that.
Featured photo credit: jeniffertn via pixabay.com
