Four tips on Personal Protection with your children
Posted: May 17, 2019
By Master Christopher Rappold
When I conduct self-defense seminars, I frequently am asked questions about being alone in a dark parking lot. The simple answer always follows… DON’T BE! With so many more options for parking, always choose lit spots over dark allies and whenever possible to be sure to park in populated areas. Bright lights and lots of people will take care of 95 percent of it and allow you to feel safe.
While we have a choice in most cases of where to park, we often don’t have the choice of not having our children with us. And while I will tell you that the stats on child abduction are somewhere as likely as getting hit by lightening, it does happen. So as a parent what are a few things we can do to keep our younger children when they are with us safe?
Here are a 4 few tips to consider –
Distance is your Friend – Always keep your child at arm's length of you. When my girls were younger they either held my hand or kept their hand in my pocket when they walked with me.
Always in Front – Position your children slightly in front of you. You want to be able to easily see if your child stumbles or becomes distracted. If they are trailing behind you, they can more easily stop to look at something without you noticing.
Keep your Focus Forward – With your child slightly in front of you, you want to set your gaze 20- to 30- feet ahead, this way if there is a potential danger in the form of a questionable character or a toy store you want to avoid you can put yourself in front of their vision and start to gently steer them away without them noticing.
Have a Plan in Case of Separation – Teach your children that in the event of a separation whom should they go to. In a mall, a great place to go is a security personnel, a cashier attendant or, if you were walking in the corridor, instruct them to go into a women’s store. Typically these stores are filled with female patrons and are staffed by female employees who are non-threatening and have a protective motherly instinct to make the child feel safe while they get help.
Simple habits like these, practiced with your children, ensure that both of you can happily be aware without being nervous and paranoid.
If you would like to have your child try our award-winning registration page based martial arts program that will reinforce the family value and teach mental and physical skills to ensure they are safe, please go to the registration page. I promise you that our team of highly-skilled martial arts teachers and mentors will make you and your family feel right at home.