No greater fear exists in the mind of a parent than that of having a lost child.
The time to confront that fear is well in advance of the event of a missing child.
Statistics vary as to how many children are missing every year, how many run away, or how many are abducted by a parent.
Most recent studies from the Justice Department indicate it is over 200,000 per year.
The question that arises is, "What can a parent do to safeguard their child?" Child safety all begins with good parenting.
A child is basically a trusting "creature", taught to obey adults and to follow their instructions.
It is this trusting nature that can get a child into a dangerous situation.
The tools that are available to parents are somewhat limited to teaching children about the dangers they encounter outside of the home.
Of even greater concern may be the dangers that a child will encounter when logging onto the Internet.
Outside of the home, the child faces perhaps a few strangers..
on the Internet..
hundreds of thousands exist at any time.
Fortunately there are some tools available for parents to use in teaching their children about "stranger danger" as well as protecting them on the Internet.
Such software programs as NetNanny are superb at offering blocking and filtering solutions for the home computer and even a cell phone.
DVD's from Safe Side featuring the Safe Side Superchick have received numerous awards.
Developed by John Walsh, these videos provide an excellent training tool in helping younger children identify the dangers of meeting a stranger.
While training and software are of immense value, the eventuality that a child may end up missing cannot be ignored.
This leads to the importance of having a readily available child ID card or kit to provide authorities should the need arise.
The kit should include an up to date photo, physical description of the child, doctor info, DNA sample and fingerprints, as well as the names an phone numbers of some of the child's friends.
The time to confront that fear is well in advance of the event of a missing child.
Statistics vary as to how many children are missing every year, how many run away, or how many are abducted by a parent.
Most recent studies from the Justice Department indicate it is over 200,000 per year.
The question that arises is, "What can a parent do to safeguard their child?" Child safety all begins with good parenting.
A child is basically a trusting "creature", taught to obey adults and to follow their instructions.
It is this trusting nature that can get a child into a dangerous situation.
The tools that are available to parents are somewhat limited to teaching children about the dangers they encounter outside of the home.
Of even greater concern may be the dangers that a child will encounter when logging onto the Internet.
Outside of the home, the child faces perhaps a few strangers..
on the Internet..
hundreds of thousands exist at any time.
Fortunately there are some tools available for parents to use in teaching their children about "stranger danger" as well as protecting them on the Internet.
Such software programs as NetNanny are superb at offering blocking and filtering solutions for the home computer and even a cell phone.
DVD's from Safe Side featuring the Safe Side Superchick have received numerous awards.
Developed by John Walsh, these videos provide an excellent training tool in helping younger children identify the dangers of meeting a stranger.
While training and software are of immense value, the eventuality that a child may end up missing cannot be ignored.
This leads to the importance of having a readily available child ID card or kit to provide authorities should the need arise.
The kit should include an up to date photo, physical description of the child, doctor info, DNA sample and fingerprints, as well as the names an phone numbers of some of the child's friends.