Tips for keeping our children safe in the modern world.

Lately, it feels like every other story in the news has been about some kind of horrific crime or accident involving a child.

Although I try to avoid reading such stories, it’s hard to tune out and the snippets I've been exposed to are just heart breaking.

It would seem, in today’s modern world, that there are dangers and eerie strangers lurking around every corner.

Parents have instant access to shocking, fear inducing stories from around the world. And although it’s good to stay informed, I feel the sheer volume of information at our fingertips is striking the fear of god into us.

Though many might disagree with me, I’m not convinced that there’s any more danger around now than there was 20 years ago. I do believe that the nature of these horrendous crimes and accidents have changed over the years but has the number?

It’s sad that our streets are scarcely filled with the sound of children out playing and there’s hardly a camera in sight at the local swing park to capture magical moments. But is this the price we must pay to keep our little ones safe? Research has revealed that children brought up by overprotective parents can become depressed and may not develop the problem solving skills which will help them later on in life.

Personally, I believe we should focus our attention on arming our children with the tools and knowledge to help protect themselves equally as much as we are taking steps to protect them from harm.

This might seem like a nuance, so let me give some examples of the steps we could take to keep our precious little people safe:

v  Safe Circle of Friends and Family – How often do we give our child’s nurseries, schools and clubs the details of ‘safe people’. Those close to us, family or friends, who are permitted to collect our them from a setting and act on our behalf. We need to ensure our children know this list too. How many times is a child harmed by a person completely unknown to them? In most cases the perpetrator is a friend or familiar face from the local community. When your child is old enough to understand make them aware of who the people in your Safe Circle are and what makes them different from the friendly post man who they might see every day.

v  Update the ‘Lost Child’ policy – As a child, my mum always told me to find a police officer if I was lost and tell them ‘I've lost my mummy’. Nowadays, I think you’re more likely to see a pink elephant walking down the streets than a bobby on the beat. A more realistic option would be to go and find a mummy with children and ask her to help him. childsafezones.co.uk has a range of fun accessories to help keep your kids safe including brightly coloured wristbands which store next of kin details for holidays and day trips.

v  Use your words – Another gem from my mother ‘If a stranger grabs you, scream as loud as you can’. So how many times have you walked past a screaming child in the supermarket without a second glance? The words ‘Stranger! Help Me!’ might be more likely to turn heads.

v  Teach road safety – ‘look left look right, are there any cars in sight,’ this is our mantra when crossing a road, including those with green men. Children should fully understand the importance of checking the coast is clear even when the green man is showing. As parents, we should always model road safety, not matter how late we’re running!

v  Teach them to swim - Most schools don’t give children swimming lessons until juniors. By that time your child might have been on holiday dozens of times. Other countries don’t always have as stringent pool safety rules as us. Treat swimming lessons as an investment in child safety.

v  Safeguard against the media– Parental controls are a must have if you have children, it’s far too easy to access inappropriate content online and on TV but luckily most media packages have parental control options which are easy to activate. Social Media can be a very dangerous tool when used by the wrong people. Facebook has a lower age limit of 13 but this doesn't mean a 13 year old should be left to their own devices when using the site. Parents should always know what their children are looking at and who they are friends with online.

v  No Secrets – In our house we don’t have secrets from each other we have surprises. Secrets are exclusive Surprises are not, simple.

v  Your Body, Your mind, your rules – Children should understand that, when it comes to their body and minds, they always have the right to say no. No to children or no to adults. I would rather have a child who can challenge and feels ownership of their body and mind than a child who feels they must always conform or that they have no choice.

I believe that if we empower our children in an age appropriate way we will have a generation who can manage their safety during the times when we can’t be there. We need our children to feel confident and safe when we’re not around and personal safety education may be the key to that. 


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