Health & Fitness
Have Tools. Will Travel. Safety for Families on the Move.
New to town? Safety is always a parenting priority but families who move a lot have special challenges.
This is not Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.
Safety is always of importance for families. We worry about our kids crossing the street safely, making sure they wear bike helmets and keeping them safe from abuse and abduction. However, for families who are highly mobile and on the move ever couple of years, bringing safety strategies into daily like can present different challenges most parents will never face.
One of the staples of teaching safety is to make sure that you are aware of your surroundings. Get to know the lay of the land and become familiar with your new neighbors. This seems basic for families who settle into a neighborhood and stay put. Military families (and some might say Microsoft families too) move on average 10+ times while raising their children. Getting to know your neighbors is secondary to getting to know where the coffee pot and sheets are hiding in the moving boxes and dealing with the stresses of multiple moves.
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Nobody is crime proof. It is impossible. However, we as parents can add layers of protection to our children and our families. Those safety layers make you and your family a harder target for crime. Children who have parents that talk to them regularly about safety are also much less likely to become easy victims. By providing our children with a set of basic safety tools to take with them everyday, we give our kids the empowerment to understand the importance of their safety, how to make safer choices and know who to go to when they need help.
- Identify 2 homes or businesses they can go to if they need help
- Establish a clear pick up policy for kids coming and going to school.
- Make sure your kids KNOW who the emergency people are on the pick up list for school.
- Talk to your kids about a back up plan when the plan changes (you are unable to pick them up from school or practice)
- Make sure that your kids know what to do if they get lost or separated from you (find a mom with kids)
The Who, What, When, of Play-dates.
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Kids make friends quickly. Play-dates and hanging out with friends are a staple of childhood. You kid has probably already made a new best friend before you have even unpacked the 1st moving boxes. Here are some basic questions that can help you get to know more about who your kids will be spending time with.
- Who will be home?
- Who will be driving?
- What is the planned activity?
- What games/movies will they be watching?
- When is pick up time?
Your parenting values will rarely be the same as other families. So ask questions that you feel are important to the safety of your kids. Also, make sure your kids know that YOUR family safety rules still apply when they are at someone else’s house.
The “Uh-Oh” feeling! The importance of following your gut.
We all have that instinctual feeling in our gut. Kids and adults alike will have that moment where their gut is telling them something is not right. New environments may heighten this feeling. Talk to your kids about why their gut instincts (and yours are important)
Red Flags and Warning Signs. What parents should be on the look out for.
Parenting is tough work. We are often stressed and can use a helping hand. How can we be sure the helping hand we are being offered is safe? Predators will often seek out parents who are overwhelmed and will be receptive to offers of help. If someone seems too good to be true, they might be.