There was a kidnapping last week in the neighboring town, and that got me wondering when is the right time to talk about strangers without scaring Sidekick? I started giving him scenarios and asked him what he would do. For example:
Me: What if a man/woman comes up to you and tells you he has a lot of puppies in his car, and he wants you to see them?
Sidekick: I say NO and run to my momma.
Me: What if Hunter's mom sees you outside and asks you if you would like a cookie?
Sidekick: I say yes please.
Me: Why?
Sidekick: Because she is nice and our friend
Me: What is Ms. Lisa (teacher at school) is at the park and asks if you want some juice.
Sidekick: I say No. I can't have juice. Can I have milk please?
Hahahahaha! Just when I think I'm ahead of him, he proves me otherwise. Anyway, he loves playing this "game" and wants to do it all. The. Time. I'm running out of scenarios. "Strangers" scare me, and while I know the likelihood of someone taking Sidekick is so small, it is something that truly worries me.
While I was getting Sidekick ready for bed the other night, he said in a very serious voice, "Momma, look at my eyes." (This is what I say to him when I really want his attention.) "We do not. Talk. To. Strangers. Ever." Wow! Out of the blue he said this to me. I'm impressed that he thinks about it. I guess things I teach him do stick in his little brain. :)
The days of being gone until the sun sets is so far away from the reality of where our world is now. Our children are losing their innocence, their sense of adventure, and their freedom to experience everything we were so lucky to do as kids. I don't think the idea of being snatched up on the street ever crossed my mom's mind when I was little while riding bikes, walking to school alone, going to the park alone, etc. I know that Sidekick is never out of my sight, and when he's older, our discussions will get "bigger". The truth of the matter is, if Sidekick was ever in one of the scenarios, someone could easily pick him up and run, but at least he is learning that we don't trust everyone we see even if they have puppies, cookies, candy, etc. Ugh! I hate thinking about this. I really do. It just makes me sick to my stomach.
I remind Sidekick all the time that it's my job to keep him safe, happy, and healthy. When I really think about it, it's such a big responsibility. He has no idea what a responsibility that is, but he knows that I would do anything to protect him. His newest thing to say after I tell him I love him:
"I love you 'too' and a half." because he is, after all, 2 1/2 and not just 2!
We had a discussion about the carbon monoxide detector and fire alarms a few months ago. I intentionally made them go off so he could hear the sound it makes. Every so often he will randomly remind me that if he hears them he will yell for me. I'm an incredibly light sleeper, but I worry that one could go off while I'm in the shower or something. Now that it is the start of Spring, they have been testing the tornado sirens in our neighborhood. I explained what they mean, and for the rest of the day he kept asking me about a storm even though it was a beautiful day. It is hard to think of what steps we need to take to ensure our children remain safe, without going to over the top and frightening them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even think of those things!!!! Eeek!!!! Thanks for the reminder. It's kind of funny how much we take our knowledge of things for granted but our little ones need to learn EVERYTHING!!!!
DeleteAwww! He is adorable!
ReplyDeleteHi! Stopping by from Mom Bloggers Club. Great bog!
Have a nice day!
I'm impressed by how well you're teaching him. He's lucky to have such a great mom. Love the milk answer, hah!
ReplyDeleteLara