What would your child do if a man or woman, they didn't know, came up to them in the park, and wondered if they would be so kind as to help them search for their missing dog? It wouldn't take long and it would be a big help.
This nice man just needs an extra set of eyes to search the neighborhood lawns while he drives around for a few minutes.
I watched a video that demonstrated this scenario during a safety presentation for primary school children.
The room got very quiet, as we watched more than one of the children in the video happily oblige the kind man.
One little girl even took his hand as they strolled to his car.
It really hits home how gentle and unassuming someone so small can be, when their parents try so hard to teach them manners and to be respectful to elders.
It was startling to watch these children go with the man so easily, but if you have children these fears are with you everyday.
How do we keep the balance? We want them to be polite and kind to everyone, but we want them to be wary enough to identify the "suspicious" people.
We don't want them to live such sheltered lives they don't trust anyone or develop properly, but are we supposed to let them walk home alone? One of the best things we can do to safeguard our children is keep them aware of a game plan.
Let them be involved.
Explain to them that if you can't be there to pick them up, than you're the one who will tell them beforehand.
They must learn never to allow anyone to take them anywhere, without you knowing about it.
We became a very animated group, and it was thrilling to see the children get involved with the question and answer period.
They were excited to be participating, and seemed empowered to know they were partly responsible for their own safety.
"The first place to start" the policewoman said, is to trust your own instincts.
" Security Expert Gavin de Becker, encourages us to rely on our intuition, no matter how old we are.
He reminds us that when it alerts us, it's because something has transpired to make us uneasy, and it's there to protect us.
Unfortunately, too often we will deny it as an over reaction.
The younger and less experienced the child the greater the risk, as they are easily intimidated by authority figures and everyday seems to be a test of right and wrong.
We need to stop focusing on strangers climbing through a window in the middle of the night or, luring a child into a car.
These are certainly risks, but the sad truth is that a child is much more likely to be physically abused by someone they know or recognize.
Pay close attention to the people your child is spending time with.
Be very wary of any person, no matter how helpful, who creates situations to be alone with your child.
Remember, when a child or teen is uneasy, help them examine their feelings because their instincts just might save their lives.
Research for this article was also obtained from "The Gift Of Fear - Survival Signals" By Gavin de Becker