Hello Parents!
For parents, the possibility of a school massacre, a bomb blast in the city and sexual abuse in schools is a nightmarish prospect. What we don’t often dwell upon is how insecure such incidents make our children. With television and newspapers headlining horrific incidents, their hyperactive imaginations can go into overdrive.
The safety and security a child should experience in familiar places like the home, apartment complex, road or school can no longer be taken for granted. Young children whose imaginations can conjure monsters in the dark may now eye a new sports coach in the school with suspicion, wondering if he could be a dangerous person.
A child can no longer freely adore every teacher, when child safety classes warn her to be careful with any man, even a known individual.
The strange effort to balance warnings against the unknown with feelings of security is not easy. Teaching child safety and expecting a child to feel safe don’t always go together.
In the new uncertain world, when streets and schools could transform into danger zones, parents need to be supportive and reassuring.
Spend time with children to explain the initiatives you’ve taken to ensure their safety and security. In the midst of lurking dangers, calmly advising children about what to do in emergency situations is necessary to prepare them for all shocks and eventualities.
Of course safety education is necessary and imperative. But at the same time it’s important to help our children feel safe and secure.
