Safety Rules for Children

About 2,000 children are reported missing every day in the United States, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). In the five-year period between February 2005 and March 2010, the center found that 38 percent of these abductions happen when a child is walking alone to or from school or the bus stop, or riding a bike alone. The NCMEC recommends four safety rules for children to protect them from the danger of abduction.

  1. Rule One: Check First

    • The first rule from the NCMEC reads in full, "I check first with my parents, guardians, or other trusted adults before going anywhere, helping anyone, accepting anything, or getting into a car." Teach your child the five most common tricks used by kidnappers which, according to the NCMEC, are offering children a ride, offering candy, asking for help finding a pet, offering money or asking for directions.

    Rule Two: Take a Friend

    • Children should never walk to and from school, the bus stop or a friend's house alone. Teach them to buddy up with a friend or sibling. The StopSexOffenders website reports that sex offenders prey on children walking alone in the hours before and after school. "It is best if you are accompanied by an adult who waits with you for the bus," says the site. "The next best thing is for you to walk with a group of other children."

    Rule Three: Say No

    • Children need to be empowered to say "No" to an adult who is making them feel uncomfortable. Ernie Allen, president chief executive officer of NCMEC, says, "A common factor with children who escaped their would-be abductors was that the child did something proactive instead of being passive or polite." Children should be taught to say no, pull away, kick, scream and attract attention however they can.

    Rule Four: Tell an Adult You Trust

    • When something happens to a child that scares her, she must understand the importance of telling an adult she trusts about it. Those who prey on children will often threaten a child to keep quiet. Talk to your kids ahead of time so they know what to do when something that makes them uncomfortable. Teach them which adults are safe to talk to: family members, teachers, school counselors, and other moms.

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