Abduction!

Abduction and attempted-abduction, these are two of the scariest things a parent can imagine. It’s a fact of life that as parents you cannot be there to protect your children 24/7. As kids grow they start venturing into society with interests like school, friends, sports, etc. As societal interaction grows, so grows the risk that they will meet one of the monsters that walk among us. In the eyes of the predator, children are an easy target, they are smaller and easier to physically control because of the strength difference. Children, depending on their age, may not fully understand the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. They may know what is happening to them is wrong but they may not understand “why” it is happening.

There are some core points that parents can, and should, be addressing with their children to help prepare them for their entry into society. First, remember that just because it is a scary topic, especially for the adults, does not mean that we shouldn’t stand up and face it head on. Take some time to coach your kids on how to respond to a threat. Start teaching them at a young age how not to be a victim.

Develop a “code” word that is known to you and your children. Tell your kids that if a person ever approaches them and says that “Mommy and Daddy sent me” to ask that stranger for the code word. If they don’t know the code word, do not go with them. Explain to them that they are never to get into a car with a stranger, even if that stranger threatens them with a weapon. The direct threat with a weapon tells us that they (stranger) have every intention of using it, just not at that location. Tell them that it is okay to run; you want them to run, and run to the nearest safe location such as a store or other population center. Make noise, draw attention to what is happening. Most attackers will disengage their attack for fear of being discovered when people start looking at what is going on.

Children are physically no match for a full grown adult. I have the upper body strength to lift a child, even most teenagers off the ground with one arm. That does not mean that my fingers possess the same strength. If you cannot match strength then attack the part of the body that you can match. Grabbing someone by one of their fingers and twisting it side to side, or backwards, is a very effective way to make them let go of you. Talk to you children about defending themselves, let them know that it is okay for them to engage in this sort of behavior to free themselves from an attacker.

A lot of kids these days are running around with cell phones. Explain to them the principal of using that phone as a blunt object, sort of a force multiplier for delivering a strike. If an attacker has taken physical control of your child by grabbing them a well-placed strike with a cell phone to the eye, nose, or throat is a good start to securing their freedom.

The important aspect in all of this is to have the discussion with you kids and have it on a re-occurring basis. It is the same as talking about how we are going to get out of the house if there is a fire, the idea needs to be refreshed in our minds, and if possible practiced. This way-God forbid-they ever find themselves in this situation, their brain is not trying to figure out what to do for the first time.

We live in a world were monsters do exist and they look just like you and me. Self-defense is your right and it is incumbent upon you to exercise that right and prepare, not just yourself, but your children to deal with the monsters when they decide to crawl out from under our beds. Everything else is just a tool, YOU are the weapon. Refuse to be a victim!