- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Too Old for Stranger Danger?
Keeping Kids Safe From Abductions
By Lisa Marie Metzler
Most of us assume our teens were taught about not talking to strangers in elementary school and already know the basics, but times have changed and so have our teens. Teens who are confident and have a greater sense of self may be better equipped to ward off an abductor. But teens who have been abused, neglected or those who are still reeling from the circumstances of a nasty divorce may be more vulnerable to the seeming kindness of a stranger who shows them attention. They may already feel like a victim and would have a hard time feeling powerful enough to fend off a would-be abductor.
Just as we prepare and teach our teens how to become responsible adults by earning money, showing up to work on time and keeping gas in the car, we need to prompt discussions on being aware of their surroundings in the event someone tries to lure them into their car or to their home. Gross refers to discussions like this as the "new normal." Abductions are a disturbing part of life to which we can no longer close our eyes and think it will only happen to someone else's kids.
According to Gross most kidnappers are cowards and are usually pedophiles, if they are sexually oriented. "We think kidnappers will kill us, but in reality the majority of them leave if we scream and fight back and draw attention to them," she says. "Kidnappers want to lure someone away without any trouble."
Gross says that if Elizabeth Smart or her sister had screamed, Elizabeth probably wouldn't have been taken. Parents have the obligation to teach their teens how to draw attention to themselves in a situation where someone is trying to lure them away. Simply use the same matter-of-fact way you taught her child about crossing the street safely. The intent is not to frighten the teen, but to empower them, so screaming "stranger" and fighting back becomes second nature.
