Seven Ways That You Can Keep Your Kids Safe So You Can Worry Less

Keeping your kids on a leash past the age of five is not a good solution, nor is it socially acceptable. Reactive, fear-based parenting will not work, and only makes your kids more rebellious as teens, and more likely to engage in the very same risky behaviors which, as a parent, you were trying to shield them from in the first place. So how do you protect your children and keep them safe without making them resent you later in life?

Check out these tips from the experts.

Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe

1. Search Criminal Arrest Records of the People in Your Neighborhood, as well as Family Friends

You should always investigate anyone who spends time with your children regardless of how well you think you know them. Sometimes, the people who victimize kids are individuals in a position of authority who have earned the family’s trust. Look up any relative that may be coming into town, neighbor down the street, or family friend. Even if you think that person would never be capable of hurting a child—especially if you think that. When it comes to protecting your child, leave no stone unturned.

2. Know Where Your Kids Are

It may sound trite to advise parents to know where their kids are, but this safety tip is a lot easier said than done. For example, your child goes out one fine Saturday morning to “ride bikes”, an innocent enough activity that usually doesn't warrant further questioning. But, without setting limits beforehand, your child could wind up on the other side of town before you know it. It’s always a good idea to ask for specifics. Establish clear boundaries in your neighborhood that your child is not allowed to go beyond. This way, if you need to find your kids and they are “out” playing in the neighborhood, you will be able to locate them that much faster.

3. Make Sure Children Memorize Important Phone Numbers

As early on in your children's development as possible, have them start memorizing your home address and phone number. Make sure your children know that they should call home if they are ever in trouble, and have them practice dialing on both a cell phone, and landline so they are comfortable with the technology. You should also work with your kids on how to make local and long distance calls from a landline phone.
If your child is old enough to have a cell phone, make sure to enable parental safety apps like Family GPS Tracker and the FBI Child ID App.

4. Encourage Caution, not Blind Fear

Being irrationally afraid of everything does not make you safer. This is doubly true for kids. Instead of echoing the outdated advice of “stranger-danger” encourage children to listen to their intuition and avoid any situations that don’t feel right. The vast majority of children are victimized by people they actually know quite well, so encouraging them to only fear strangers won’t keep them completely protected.

5. Keep Updated Records

Kids grow up so fast, and although you might not realize it, their appearance can change faster than you might think. It’s always a good idea to take pictures of your kids often and have their pictures professionally taken about every four months so you’ll have clear, recent, portraits to show the authorities in case anything happens. Not that any parent needs an excuse to take more pictures of their kids than they already do, but at least now you have a legit cause to do so. You should also have your child fingerprinted and keep the prints, (along with other important info such as blood type and DOB) in a safe place.

6. Establish a Family Code Word

A code word is an easy way for your children to know who they can and can’t trust. Decide on a code word with your children that only a small group of trusted family members or friends are privy to. Whenever you need to send someone to pick your kids up from school, make sure your child asks them for the family code, to know whether or not it’s safe to go with them.

7. Set Age-Appropriate Guidelines for Internet Use

For younger children under the age of 10, it is a good idea to personally monitor all Internet activity. If a kid-friendly social media site encourages them to make a profile, help your kids create an online nickname that does not give away any personal information. Stress the importance of not revealing any information about where your family lives, contact information, or passwords.

For older children who have unsupervised Internet use, place the computer in a central part of the house, and establish firm guidelines about sites that are off-limits, and set time limitations for how long they can stay online. You should also employ the parental controls included in your operating system or Internet browser.

Teaching your children to identify and recognize potential risks, will make them better prepared to deal with unforeseen events and future complications.
Although technology can certainly play a huge role in making us safer and more informed, smartphones, apps, and trackers should not viewed as a substitute for careful planning, and due diligence. Teaching kids how to make good choices and exercise caution should always be a priority that trumps blindly relying on fallible devices to keep them safe.