How to Prevent Your Child from Going Missing, by Adrienne Carlson
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare coming true when their child goes missing – they don’t know who to turn to for answers, they’re tormented by guilt and grief and other conflicting emotions that tug at them and make them go crazy, and they run from pillar to post hoping to somehow find their child. Missing children are sometimes even worse than children who are dead, because you don’t have closure. It seems callous to think of it this way, but when the question of a child who is not found haunts you for the rest of your life, you cannot let go of the past and move into the future. It could happen to anyone, so we need to take precautions to ensure that our children are safe and secure from predators and child abusers, and to do this, we must:
1. Show your children how to stay safe: We do tell our kids not to talk to strangers, but they do so anyway. Reiterate the importance of this point and tell your children not to trust anyone you don’t trust. You must tell them in ways that they understand why you ask them to stay away from strangers and to stay with their friends and teachers at all times, otherwise they will not take you seriously. When it comes to older children, talk to them about the dangers of going off with strange men and women and make sure you share an open and trusting relationship with them so that they come to you with their problems instead of drowning them in drink or doing other things that are not wise or safe.
2. Don’t trust people without checking them out thoroughly: Very often, it’s people you know who are responsible for kidnapping or abducting your children, so when you hire babysitters and household help, do so only on strong recommendations. When it comes to the safety of your children, you must spare no effort or expense to ensure that they are protected in your absence.
3. Take advantage of technology: Some parents put their minds at ease by using GPS and cellular phones to track their kids, especially those who are too small to take care of themselves. The older ones may object to this kind of surveillance, but when the kids are relatively small, they need to be safeguarded from both strangers and people who know them.
4. Watch your children carefully: When at the mall or in other public places, don’t let go of your kids in your pursuit of other activities. Watch them carefully and keep them within your sight because they can so easily get lost in the span of a minute or less. Tell your children to stay close to you and also to inform you if they notice strangers who approach them and try to lure them away from the adults who offer them protection.
Unfortunately for us, we live in a world that is not safe for our children. And unless we ensure that they are protected, we risk them going missing. Prevention is certainly better than cure in this case, because when a child is missing, there’s no telling if there is a definite cure or not.
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of forensic science schools. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com
