Parents, weather is starting to warm up in southwest Ohio, so you’ve likely
already reviewed the basic safety tips for kids who walk or bus to and from
school.
Those tips, of course, are:
- Walk
with a buddy
- Stay
in well-lit areas
- Never
accept a ride with strangers
- Once
home, lock the door and don’t let anyone in
However, Dr. Michele Borba, author of The Big
Book of Parenting Solutions, urges you not to overestimate your kids’ safety
smarts. Kids under 10, for example, may not grasp the concept of crossing a
street safely, she says.
She suggests teaching them: “Stop. Left. Right. Left.” Meaning that
children should, “stop at the curb,
look left, right, then left again before crossing, and keep looking as they
cross.”
Another thing kids need to know, says Borba, is how to ask for help.
Have kids practice saying, “I need help,” out loud and instruct them to “find a uniformed employee, a police officer or a
woman, preferably with a child,” when they need assistance, she says.
Once home, kids will likely use the Internet, so
be sure to discuss digital safety too.
Staying Safe Online
Intrnet safety advocate Sue
Scheff, author of Wit's End
and Google Bomb, says that, “we need to
put parental controls/security measures on computers and cell phones. Unfortunately,
these aren’t guarantees, so having a cyber-smart child is your best
defense.”
Teach kids about the dangers of sharing personal
information, such as their home address and phone number, online. And about
using social media responsibly.
While online, it’s best for kids – and adults –
to converse and connect only with people they truly know and trust, to keep
their social accounts private and to still be cautious even then. After all,
photos and information that go online today will still be there years later,
when kids apply for college scholarships and jobs.
Above all, stay involved in your kids’ digital
lives. Let them know you’re there for them, always – to talk, not to judge or
punish, says Scheff. “Many kids fear having their Internet removed if they tell their parents they are being
bullied online,” she says.
So keep the lines of communication open to help
keep everyone safe, both in and outside of your home.
-Safeco Insurance Article
