How to Protect Your Children

 A scary thing happened the other day. While I was working, my mother-in-law Kitty took TJ to McDonald’s to play with Abby, the little girl my mom babysits. As they were gathering their things to leave, TJ thought it would be funny to run out the door by himself and start laughing. Thankfully, there were two doors there, so TJ ended up in a vestibule between the PlayPlace and the exit that opens up in front of the drive thru. Apparently, my mom moved so fast, Kitty said she’d never seen anything like it.

My mom tried to put the fear of God into him, telling him that it wasn’t funny, and that he scared her because he could have gotten very hurt. Even Abby, who is turning five soon, was very upset. She told him that she was scared too, because he could have been stolen, he could have ended up in the hospital, or he could have died.

But TJ is three and a half years old. He stopped laughing and started crying because he was being “yelled” at. I don’t know if he understood why it was so bad.

This was only two days ago, but every time we leave the house, I’ve been telling him that he can’t open a door without a grown up. He can’t go outside by himself. He can’t walk away from us.

I try to explain that he can get hurt in a parking lot because cars don’t always see little boys. He’s always been so good about holding hands and staying still until the adults were ready to go… until now.

I try to explain that not everyone is nice, that there are some bad people that hurt little boys. He doesn’t understand this. I don’t want to terrify him, but he replied back that all people are nice people. I’m not sure how else to get the point across. His friend Abby gets it, but she’s got over a year on him.

Here is what I am going to tell TJ  to try to keep him safe:

• Never open a door without a grown up.
• Never walk away from Mommy (or Daddy or Grandma) when they’re not looking.
• Never go outside by yourself.
• Look both ways to make sure no cars are coming before you cross the street.
• Never go with an adult you don’t know unless Mommy or Daddy says it’s okay.
• Never go with an adult who says they know Mommy or Daddy unless Mommy or Daddy is there to say it’s okay.
• If an adult you don’t know tries to get you to go with them, come and get Mommy or Daddy immediately. Even if a lost puppy is involved.
• If an adult tries to take you, scream, “Help! I don’t know you!” as loud as you can.
• Don’t keep secrets from Mommy or Daddy. You can tell us anything. If you don’t want to tell us, tell Grandma or one of your uncles.

What steps have you taken to protect your children? It’s a scary world out there. How do you keep your kids safe, especially when they’re toddlers and preschoolers? Leave me a comment to let me know.

Christina Gleason is 30 years old, wife to Tom and mother to TJ.  Read her blogs at Cutest Kid Ever and Cute Mom Clothes, follow her on Twitter @cutestkidever or @ChristinaGayle, or connect with her on LinkedIn!

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