The summer is flying by so fast. I hope the citizens of Cañon City are enjoying their summer so far and are staying safe out there. With so many wonderful activities to do and see in our area I'm sure families are staying busy.
Last month, we learned about personal safety. Personal safety applies to everyone, but we are responsible for teaching our kids how to protect them selves in today's world. We learned that Stranger Danger just doesn't work anymore. We learned that we have to empower kids to keep themselves safe when they are away from a safe adult. Remember...WHEN IN DOUBT — GET OUT!
When the behavior is unsafe for the kid what can they do to get away? What is available to kids as tools to use to get away? Can kids run? — YES. Can they tell a safe adult? — YES, but what else? How about using their voice? We all know kids can yell and scream, but can they use that to get out of an unsafe situation? Absolutely! Teach your kids that their voice is a very important tool to use to get away from an unsafe person. I have been asked by parents what is ok to teach their kids to yell when in an unsafe situation. The best phrase you can teach them is simple: if the unsafe person is a male then teach them to yell "THAT'S NOT MY DAD!" If it's a female then "THAT'S NOT MY MOM!" If you simply tell them to yell or scream bystanders might hesitate to get involved because they are unsure if it's a serious instance or if they are witnessing a temper tantrum.
By screaming "THAT'S NOT MY MOM OR THAT'S NOT MY DAD!" it should be clear to onlookers that there is something not right about the situation and will increase their awareness and involvement in the problem.
Teach your kids to be aware of their surroundings. How many times do we see youth (or adults?) walking along the street and their head is down looking at their feet or their cell phone? I have to wonder how many people that do this have ran right into a stop sign! When perpetrators are looking for victims they are looking for the easy victims. Teach your kids to walk with awareness and with their heads up noticing things around them. Teach kids their directions and landmarks in their community. Teach them how long a city block is and street names in their area. Knowing your surroundings gives you an advantage against an unsafe person. If kids are aware of their surroundings they are less likely to be an easy target for unsafe people.
Always teach your kids to walk in groups of friends and never alone. There is safety in numbers and if a kid is walking alone or riding their bike alone they are more likely to be viewed as a target by an unsafe person.
We teach our youth the skills they need to grow up to be happy, healthy, educated, productive members of society. Teaching our kids personal safety skills is just another way to ensure their futures.
Robyn Vidmar is the School Resource Officer through the Cañon City Police Department. For more information, email email@example.com or call (719) 276-5600.