Guest Author - Robin Rounds Whittemore

On March 1, 1932 between the hours of 9:00pm and 10:00pm, Charles Lindbergh, Jr. was kidnapped. That night, at approximately 8:00pm, the baby was put to bed. The nanny looked in on him around 9:00pm. He was sleeping soundly. When she went to check on him at 10:00pm, he was missing. The police were called and you know the rest of the story. A man by the name of Bruno Hauptmann, maintaining his innocence, was charged with the crime. The baby was found with a fractured skull and parts of his body missing.

This happened back in 1932, but children are still being taken today. True, some children run away on their own accord. Others return home, either on their own, or they are found. Some children are still out there away from their families. Their fate..............?

There is absolutely no guarantee in this world that it will never happen to your child, or any child that you know. The rest of this article contains information that may help you and your child prevent this from happening to your family. It is by no means inclusive of all preventive measures and safety tips, but it is somewhere to start.

Make sure your child knows your full phone number, not just “memory 1”. Have a full body shot and a face shot taken of your child every six months to ensure that you have a current picture in case it is ever necessary. Have your child fingerprinted and otherwise able to be identified. There are many programs to look into that provide those services.

Be aware of the friends your child hangs out with. Get to know them and meet their parents. Visit their house, and let them visit yours. The more you work together with your children’s friends and their parents, the better. Form your own neighborhood watch team. Encourage the children to participate by watching for strangers or strange cars parked in the area.

Actually go to the places where the children spend time, be it a video arcade, the mall, the park, or anywhere else they may go to spend time. Get to know the areas and see who hangs out there. Talk with the owners of the places and ask if there have been any incidents. Make sure your children know who to go to in case of any problems.

On familiar paths, do your children know where they can go for help, or to hide? If your child ever thinks they are being followed or watched, make sure they know safe places to go, and who to report the incident to.

Make them aware of whom safe and responsible adults are; such as policemen, librarians, teachers, clergy, etc. If your child frequents certain areas, introduce yourself and your child to adults in charge. See for yourself how you feel about these people as well.

Perhaps having your child wear a whistle around his or her neck would make everyone feel better. Be ready to blow it, but only when it is necessary; or it will be like the story about the boy who cried wolf. Do they know to shout, “NO”, or even “Fire” if approached in a dangerous manner? Right after they shout, they need to run to the nearest safe place and inform an adult about what just took place.

Play games with your children to see what they remember about people that they just met. See how good their memory is and keep practicing. Should something happen, it would be good to have an accurate description of the person in question.

If a person is in a car, trying to attract your childs attention, have your child stay more than an arms length away from the car. Remember, people have been known to get out of their cars to grab a child.

Should your child ever say that a grownup is making them feel uncomfortable, or that they don’t enjoy being around someone, find out why. Encourage your child to talk to you about such matters. It doesn’t have to be a bad reason; perhaps they just don’t like the perfume or cologne someone is wearing. Do not force the child to be around whoever makes them uncomfortable, even if it is a relative. Never force them to hug or kiss anyone that makes them feel uncomfortable, again, even if it is a relative.

Now it brings certain situations to mind. Sometimes when people get older, or they develop diseases like Parkinson’s, their hands can tend to shake. They may go to hug someone around the shoulders and may accidentally touch inappropriate places. Inappropriate touching while playing touch football, water sport, or other activity has been known to happen. It might not be with intent to harm, but accidents can occur.

What if you are dating someone and your child does not like them? It will take some effort on your part to determine if your child is just jealous or resentful, or if something is really wrong. Never make your child hug or kiss them if they do not feel like it.

This is not something to shield yourself or your children from. The world can be a dangerous place and you all need to pay attention to what is happening around you. Taking the time to talk to your children could save their lives.

I would like to recommend two sections in BellaOnline for continued reading. For more on the Lindbergh kidnapping, please visit the Today in History section. For more on child safety, please visit the Missing and Exploited Children section.