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Stranger Danger

Teaching Your Children the Dangers of Strangers

By Carma Haley

De Luca says her daughter soon came walking up the stairs with a policeman. The little boy had trapped her behind the bush, and put his hand over her mouth so she couldn't answer.

"I told her how badly she scared her stepdad, her sister and me," she says. "I had one of the officers tell her how badly she scared them. I still talk to her about it. I want to make sure she understands how dangerous what she did is."

Protecting children against things that can harm them is something parents do instinctively. But there are times when parents are not going to be there to stop harm in its tracks.

"Children should always be supervised, or when older children do things as part of a group such as after-school programs, sport team participation, camps ... a responsible, known adult should be present," Jones says.

In addition, babysitters or childcare providers should be checked out thoroughly and any odd changes in behavior or claims of suspicious occurrences should never be ignored, she says.

Jones says children don't have to be scared to be prepared. However, children may often feel invincible or untouchable and a slight scare may be needed to offer a minimal dose of reality.

"Parents should use whatever is necessary to get the point across," Jones says. "But this information does not need to be frightening to be effective. ... Parents should use proactive educational measures to protect their children against abduction. To an abductor, an aware and prepared child is the greatest defense against his or her attempts."