Fox 4 Stranger Danger Video
We teach them not to play with matches, to test the bath water before they get in, to chew their food so they don't choke, we teach them all of these things to keep them safe. Please don't ignore teaching about stranger danger just because it's scary. It will be infinitely more scary to lose your child.
I know with my own children this can not be a breezy conversation that I have with them one night before bed. They will worry. They will fret. They sill be scared. They will ask questions. This talk will lead to conversations about robbers breaking in, children being killed and why there are bad people in the world. I have to tread lightly to draw a line between teaching my children and scaring them out of their minds. The age of innocence is gone. The age of playing outside with your friends all day without a parent in sight are gone. The age of walking to school by yourself, setting up a lemonade stand and the end of your street and flashlight tag with neighbor friends may never be experienced by our children. But guess what? This gives you, the parents the opportunity to be involved. Take a interest. Garden while your kids are outside. Ride your bike to school with them. Be present. And leave your porch light on for Hailey. Ours is on in Leawood, KS.
Hailey didn't willingly get in the car with her kidnapper. She didn't hang at the door and answer his questions. She didn't take the bait of candy, a puppy or whatever this man was presenting to get her into that car. He pulled her into the car. She got just close enough for him to grab her. It's not enough anymore to teach our kids to ignore strangers. Even if she had completely ignored him, he still could have grabbed her. We have to teach our kids to run, scream, yell, act like a lunatic...whatever it takes to not be grabbed into that car.
Although the police stated that Hailey didn't know her kidnapper, he could have easily worked at her school. As it was, he worked at a middle school. Let me rephrase this.... He.Worked.With. KIDS. How this happens, I have NO idea. Background checks would have turned up his two prior crimes but neither involved children so I guess that makes it ok for a person to work with children? I don't know what the solution is here, but it's not just enough to teach our kids not to talk to strangers. They really shouldn't be approached by any adult to get in a car, give directions, look at a puppy, take a piece of candy....So once again, we have to teach our kids that not talking to adults (stranger or not) isn't being rude, it's being safe.
As a side note: When I was in elementary school I was out on Halloween night trick or treating with my friends. I was a few blocks behind them. As I walked down the street by myself to catch up with them, a man approached me in his car and asked me to get in. I remember being scared out of my mind. I had never seen the man before and was certain that I didn't know him. I ran up to the nearest house and knocked on the door. I told the woman that answered the door that I was just asked by someone to get in their car. I was shaking and crying. She got me a glass of water and let me sit in her house for a few minutes. I am certain she didn't call the police or my parents. I wish she would have done both. But she did drive me down the street to catch up with my friends. I didn't know her but I felt safe with. Looking back on it now, I am so very very thankful that I learned how to react if anyone ever approached me. That situation could have had a much different ending. It scared me enough that I still remember it to this day. I didn't talk to the man. I didn't get in his car. These are the same lessons we need to teach our children. Over and over again.
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