FHE about Stranger Danger

Sometime last week I heard something on the news about children being lured away at parks by strangers. As is often the case, I heard the ad for it and didn't get to watch the real thing....the story of my life!. Aunty Nae filled me in, saying that 7 out of 9 children 'tested' went with the stranger who tricked them by saying his dog had ran away and asking for their help to find it with him.

Scary stuff!!!!!!

Immediately I knew this was something we needed to re-visit with the girls in FHE. They're never at the park, or anywhere for that matter on their own, but sometimes they do wander a little further than I'd like and it's obviously all to easy for a sneaky and scary adult to come and lure them away with some bogus story or other.

While I don't want them to be scared of everyone they see, I do want them to have a healthy caution for people they don't know and have skills to deal with a scary or unknown situation heaven forbid it ever happens to them.

Such a wake up call about vigilance with watching children and keeping a close eye on them. I know we can't keep them wrapped up in cotton wool forever and there will be times when they go off and do things without us, but at the moment walking to school alone and playing at the park are a way off for our family. Even makes me get teary thinking about anything bad EVER happening to my precious babies!!!!

Faith knew exactly what we were saying, in fact as we started she knew it was a serious talk and she started saying 'don't talk about this, I don't like it'. She was really good with her responses when we did different scenarios with her. When we did a pretend scenario with Ella it went like this....

Stranger: 'Hi little girl, do you want to come to the dairy with me?'
Ella: 'No, I'm going to my Mum'
Stranger: 'oh, come on little girl, I've got some money to give you and I can buy some lollies'
Ella: Hesitation
Dad Prompts: 'What would you say to him Ella?'
Ella: 'Please can I have some lollies'
Dad: 'No Ella, you always say NO I'm going to my Mum and Dad and run back to tell us!!!!!!'

Would like to think it'd never happen to us, but why not?