Paul MessamTRAGEDIES often befall our children because they have not been taught precisely what to do in potentially dangerous situations. As the Christmas term begins, could your child cope if faced with an emergency? Would he/she know how to avoid danger? Simply telling them not to accept sweets from strangers or not to panic in a life-threatening situation is not enough. It is of paramount importance to explain exactly what to do in an emergency.
"Every day your child's life holds innumerable moments that bombard the senses through sight and sound and smell, taste and touch" says Dr. Harvey S. Wiener, from his book. Our children should be treated like gems; how we present information to them can be almost as important as the substance of what is said.
Flair sought the advice of educators on ways that children can be protected in the present climate of escalating crime or if they should get lost on their way home from school.
"Children like to be reassured in the event of a problem," said Patrice Logan, Senior teacher of Hillel Academy. According to Mrs. Logan, parents should inform their principals, the class teachers and the guard about the driver responsible for pick ups.
Mrs. Logan explained that children should be picked up as a early as possible and they should be disciplined enough to wait at the given point of pick up", this makes them easier to be spotted and picked up, "she added. She also mentioned that those who take the bus should be encouraged to do so in groups and if they have to walk, should do likewise.
"A contact number of a parent or guardian should be left with the school and if children are left alone at home, there should be a secret code to inform parents if something is happening."
Paulette Dunn-Smith Director of the National Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), and a mother of two, feels that children must know who their parents or guardians are and where they live. "Too often we find three or four-year-olds who do not know the names of their care givers others" she says.
Dunn-Smith explained that bags, water bottles and lunch boxes should be clearly labelled with names and addresses and a telephone number if possible. "Children usually get distressed when not picked up early, especially during the early part of the term and should be given strict instructions about what the dos and don'ts.
She further explained that when offering instructions, the tone of the conversation should be positive and not threatening. "Describe a situation your child might face and then ask him how he would respond," she said. "Help him arrive at the right answer himself, do not make him feel bad about a wrong answer, but do help him to see what the consequences of the wrong action could be". She also said that the conversation should be treated as a kind of game or test of skill.
If the child is home alone and there is a knock on the door or the doorbell rings, children should be constantly reminded never to open a door for a stranger.
"But do not ignore the door bell either", Myrtle Burton feels. "An unscrupulous person may be checking to see if anyone is home," according to Burton, the child should tell the strange person through the closed door that mom or dad is resting he cannot open the door. He could then call the neighbour and say, "someone is at the door, could you please stay on the line until he leaves?"
Another thing to do is to teach your children to use the phone properly, on your phone or near the phone, write boldly the numbers of the neighbours, the police, your doctor, the fire service and so on.
As Aldous Huxley from his collected essays puts it, "children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardour, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision." Let's do the right thing and care for them a little bit more.
