Children getting lost

[Ceres]

Something in my email reminded me of this and I thought it was worth posting in here. With all the festivals and such going on in summer, kids get lost all the time; do yours know what to do?

Does your child know what to do if he/she gets lost in a crowd? Do they know their full names? Do they know your full name? How about phone numbers or street addresses? Do they know to ask a police officer(security guard) or person who works in the place they get lost for help instead of a stranger? Or if they dont have a choice but to ask a stranger, do they know to ask a mother with children if they can? Do they know that if someone starts hauling them away they should shout "this person isnt my parent" instead of just yelling since some people will just assume the person abducting the kid is a parent dealing with a tantrum?

Please post any other street proofing ideas!

[farm girl]

Knowing names, address, and parents' names are a great idea.

[Jenne]

Yeah, it's a good thing to question. I know my 7 year old could handle it, but my 4 year old, not so much. He knows his first and last name, but he still has problems grasping that I'm "Jennifer" and not "Mommy." He knows he lives in San Diego, California, but not the street. And our number is unlisted.

But the 7 year old is on top of things. He knows addie, phone number and full name, as well as both of his parents' names. GAWD forbid he ever DOES get lost (damn, come to think of it, I was lost quite a bit myself, and had an unnatural fear of it growing up--probably self-fulfilling prophecy there...:2G: ), but I think he'd be ok if he did.

Ugh. Dreadful to think about, however.

As for safety tips...running and shouting is good--yelling NO! really loud is a hard concept for some kids b/c they are taught respect right off, but if you can convince them it's ok, it's a great concept. I like the "this isn't my parent" thing to yell. As well as the "mother with children"--and cashier in a store is good as well.