RE: Talk to Strangers: educate children (repost)
Absolutely agree with everything you said.
It is our job to prepare our children for the world they have to live in as we will not always be there to help them.
I spend a lot of time talking to my children about this. To trust their feelings. If something feels off, even just a little bit, do not be afraid to ask for help or remove yourself from a situation. It takes a lot of courage to do this sometimes.
I was at the movies one day back when I only had 3 children. We took our seats and about 25 minutes into the movie a single man walked in and sat beside my daughter. There were plenty of other seats available, but he sat right next to her. He didn’t say or do anything, but it was off. I quietly picked up my boys and asked my daughter to follow and we left.
Now, he may have been harmless, but I was not about to stick around and find out.
Peoples actions and expressions often say so much more than they realise. Teaching children to realise that and react to it is imperative.
Out of sync behaviours may be harmless but, err on the side of caution.
I am trying to spend more time developing my daughter (she is only 18 months now) to be attentive to details. So far, it has led to not being able to hide anything at all from her. I am both happy and concerned for the future :)