Personal Safety for Children and Families

家庭规则

Establishing a system of “family rules” about personal safety can be a good way to teach children to distinguish between safe and a non-safe situation. Many families already have rules about bedtime, TV watching, chores, etc. By adopting rules about personal safety, parents can teach good habits through reinforcement and repetition without generating excessive fear. The following are suggestions for personal safety rules that can be incorporated into a family routine.

内部规则

Kids should know their complete home address, telephone number including area code and parents’ first and last names.
If kids are old enough to answer the phone, they should know how to call 9-1-1. Practice with the receiver button taped down.
Kids should be taught never to reveal any personal (their name, school, age, etc.) or family information over the phone unless a parent has given permission.
If kids are home alone and answer a phone call for an absent parent, they should say “she can’t come to the phone right now”, and take a message or tell the caller to try later – don’t make excuses, 听起来很假.
不接电话没关系, 或者算出一个密码(环两次), hang up call again) so parent can check on a child that is home alone.
Kids are old enough to answer the door when they are old enough to check the identity of the person at the door WITHOUT opening it.
Kids should help their parents make sure doors that should be locked are locked.

外面的规则

Establish a system of accountability. Learn the full names of your kids’ friends, their parents’ names, addresses and phone numbers. Check to verify the accuracy if you get the information from your kids. When your child is at a friend’s home, who else is present? 父母? 大一点的孩子? 其他邻居? 没有一个人?
Know your child’s routes to and from school, play and errands. Insist they stick to the same route – no shortcuts! If you have to look for them, you will know where to begin.
Kids should be taught never to go anywhere with anyone without parental permission. This includes getting permission a second time if plans change and calling to check before going from one friend’s home to another location.
Kids should never play in isolated areas of parks or playgrounds, 并应避免使用公共厕所, 建筑工地和黑暗的街道.
Teach kids alternatives; if they are bothered or followed on the playground, 步行去朋友家, 学校或商店, 他们去了哪里?? Walk these common routes with your child and look for choices. 他们能回学校吗, in a store or business (kids are reluctant to enter a strange store or business unless given permission,) into a fire station or approach someone doing yard work?
Knocking on the door of a stranger is a last resort. If they have no other choice they should look for a house with a light on (at night) or 玩具 in the yard if possible and ask the homeowner to “please call the police, 有人在打扰我。”, 但不能进屋里去.
Kids’ best defenses are their voices and their legs. Teach them to runaway from someone who is bothering them while yelling to attract as much attention as is possible.
让他们练习大喊大叫!
Teach kids not to approach cars that stop to ask for help. Most legitimate adults would not ask a young child for directions anyway. If the car follows them or the driver gets out they should run away and yell.

“坏人”规则

Teach kids that “bad guys” can be anyone; society teaches kids bad guys are always ugly, 刻薄又可怕, 看起来像怪物. Bad guys are almost always portrayed as strangers and as men.
Remember, a stranger is someone who is not known by the child. A friend of parents, a friend of the child’s friend or a neighbor can be a stranger. And a stranger can be a good guy or a bad guy.
Some bad guys act nice, friendly and are attractive. 有些坏人会捉弄孩子. Typical bad guy tricks include bribes (money, 玩具, 游戏, 或者对那些事情的承诺), lies (your mom told me to pick you up at school), requests for help (my puppy ran away, 你能帮我找到他吗?), or threats (if you don’t come with me I’ll hurt your mom).
Teach kids that a bad guy is someone who asks them to violate family rules, e.g. someone who says they don’t need permission to accompany them.
制定一个家庭“暗语”. If someone other than a parent is going to pick up a child unexpectedly, that person should repeat the “code word” first before the child agrees to leave. The code word should remain a secret and be changed should others learn of it. 学校 have specific rules about “emergency pick-ups”. Please make sure you are aware of those rules and provide the school with the information needed.

* Adapted from the Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Section website