The sentence every child should be taught – and you’ll see why.
As parents, we do whatever we can to keep our kids safe.
We babyproof our homes, and double-check that car seats are installed correctly. We cut grapes in half and make sure they learn how to behave around traffic and cars.
But we also need to teach them other types of safety precautions – and that not everyone can be trusted – but in a way that does not scare them or make them fearful of people or situations.
One mum just took to social media to share the one sentence we should all teach our children that could protect them from ever being abducted – and it is so beautifully simple, and will actually make sense to kids.
In a carousel post on Instagram, former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz, who runs baby safety website Tiny Hearts Education, shared what we should be teaching our children to say in a situation where an strange adult approaches them and asks for help.
‘Your child will willingly go with a stranger tomorrow with this sentence: ‘Can you help me find my puppy,’ they wrote.
‘To a child, this sounds like the right things to do. We raise our little ones to be kind and helpful. And that’s exactly what makes this sentence work.’
Adults don’t need help from kids
To help keep kids safe, Jurcutz said we should teach kids to always remember this: Safe adults don’t ask kids for help.
A safe adult would never ask a child they don’t know for help – and when you teach your child to remember this, you will make sure they never say yes to helping a stranger with something, and potentially putting themselves in a dangerous situation.
‘Teaching your kids that safe grown ups don’t ask children for help is a simple way to ensure they aren’t mislead,’ she wrote.
‘If an adult genuinely needs a hand they will always ask another adult.’
The mum also urged parents to practice these situations with their children, so that if something like this was to ever arise, they would know what to do.
‘Practicing these scenarios at home takes the fear out of the conversation and builds their confidence so they know exactly how to respond.’
‘You can’t always be there, but your voice can’
Jurcutz also shared some words to teach your kids about different situations. For instance, if someone tells your child they have lollipops (or ice cream) in their car, and asks your child to come see, tell them to say this:
‘I’ll just have to ask my mum first’ – and come to you and ask.
And if a strange adult tells your child that they have come to pick them up from school instead of you, tell them to ask for a code word or sentence.
The thing to remember, Jurcutz says, is that you can’t always be there to keep your child safe in every situation, but teaching them these simple things and sentences can.
‘You can’t always be there, but your voice can. Practice these words with your little ones until they become automatic. Because in that moment, they won’t have time to think.’
