TEACH YOUR CHILD TO KEEP SAFE AT CROWDED PLACES

Your child is beautiful and bubbling with enthusiasm. He or she is extra smart with her computer and knows how to score good marks in his/her class tests.

But does your child have any idea how he can keep himself safe in a crowd? What to do in case someone tries to overpower him in a crowded place? Does your child have enough courage to raise an alarm and grapple with the stranger?

Those are the kinds of questions that worry parents like you and me these days but do we know where to start?

Most parents worry endlessly about their child's safety and security but are not sure as to what to teach them and how to protect them without scaring them unnecessarily.

We know our children are at risk whenever they go out unescorted, even escorted they are not free from danger.

The real safety issue is not strangers, but strangeness, the inappropriate behavior of a strange person and a child's vulnerability to the persuasion of the stranger.

The child should be taught to understand and see through common lures and ploys. They should be taught to trust their own feelings when something doesn't appear to be right.

A child should be told that it is all right to say NO to adults, even to those they may know well, in case if what they do or say makes them feel uncomfortable or scared.

The kid should know that when danger is present the need is to act fast and not ponder. They should be taught what it's like to be threatened and how to fight back.

A child should be made to practice talking back to and keep off a stranger who appears to be taking an undue interest in his or her activities.

The child should be prepared to strike back, run away, and yell in a dangerous situation. The children should be taught to use what gives them their power -- their voices and movement.

And it is not always that strangers accost children, sometimes it's easy for children to go missing from parents at crowded places like fairs, exhibitions and parks.

Crowded places offer lots of interesting things that capture children's attention, and if they become absorbed in something, it's easy for them to be left behind in the crowd.

It's a good idea to dress them in distinctive clothing when taking them to crowded places. This will make it easier for you to keep an eye on them, and to find them if they do wander off.

There's some comfort in the knowledge that if a child becomes lost in a crowd, most adults around them would help them. Not everyone in a crowd is a child lifter who wants to harm your child, so chances are you'll find your child very soon.

While it's distressing for parents to temporarily misplace a child, it's perhaps even more distressing for a child to become lost, even for a few minutes.

If they understand some basic procedures, they'll be better equipped to deal with the situation.

Teach children from a very early age to know their full name, address and telephone number. Armed with this information, they'll probably feel less frightened if they become lost.

Teach them not to search for you, but instead, report to a person in authority, such as a police officer or ambulance officer.

When you visit a shopping mall or any other crowded place it is wise to first let them have an idea of the entrances and exits and arrange to meet them at one of these if they get lost.