Stranger Danger - Teaching Your Kids About Strangers

On Friday in Beaumont a stranger approached a young kid at a middle school. You can read all about it .

This is every parent's nightmare. Teaching your kids about strangers is such a delicate topic.

You need to express to them the importance and the potential danger, but you also do not want to make them so paranoid they refuse to leave the house.

Here are some tips for teaching your kids about stranger safety....

• Don't talk to strangers but first define stranger. To your kids anyone they do not know is a stranger. Make sure to introduce your kids to anyone they may need to know. Also discuss who "safe strangers" are. In a dangerous situation your child may need to talk to someone they don't know. Point out to kids police officers, firemen, guards and even uniformed employees. So if your child is lost at Target they know to find someone with a red polo, khakis and a name tag to ask for help.
• Teach your kid your phone number, address, and their full name. If they get lost they will need this information. Something else we forget to teach our children is our names. If they get lost and are asked "What is your Mom's name?" if they respond with "Mom" that is not too helpful. 
• Teach them that they are NEVER to go anywhere with anyone unless Mom or Dad have told them to.
• Tell your child that they are not responsible for helping any adult. No adult should ever ask a kid for help.
• Teach them "NO GO YELL TELL". If they are approached by a stranger they should say NO and then run (GO) away while YELLing as loud as they can (even if they are indoors) and TELL a safe stranger or trusted adult.
• To get started on the topic find a age appropriate book to read. Even Winnie the Pooh and The Berenstain Bears have books on the topic.
• Always listen to your kids and more importantly believe what they say.
• Role play and go over a few different scenarios with your child and make sure they know what to do.

Most importantly, always know where your child is every second of the day. Make sure your child knows this. This may sound excessive but it is a important way to keep your child safe.