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What do you tell your children about getting away from kidnappers! Do you tell your child to listen to adults? I remember when I was a child I was taught to answer the phone and answer questions politely to adults. I don’t remember worrying about an adult ever harming me. Well nowadays you simply not afford to take such a lackadaisical attitude towards bad guys – they are emboldened!
I found one story here (1/29/2009) where a guy stopped outside of a Canadian school with a loud speaker asking the girls to come and see his puppy. Soon adults came out so see what was happening and the guy took off! Never would I have ever thought that a molester would come out in daylight and call out for the whole school to hear – trying to get kids to come away with him. I was happy to hear on the video that some parents had already discussed this topic with their kids. I will close with a kid that was saved by techniques he learned at his karate school! Here is a short video.
The Carlie Brucia kidnapping was sad and part of the reason parents should worry. Apparently this girl went off with the kidnapper for some reason, and was later killed. John Hall has created teaching materials to teach children how to keep from getting taken. Really that is the most dangerous scenario – getting taken away in a van or dragged back into some thickly wooded area. Chances that if your kid goes with the abductor – he or she may not come back.
I found this incident of a 10 year-old boy abduction attempt here. This was not the first time the boy had thought about what to do if someone grabbed him! He started struggling, kicking and yelling, “THIS IS NOT MY PARENT” as he was taught at Craigs Kempo Karate Academy in Watertown MA.
The boy had practiced what to do if someone tried to do this scenario that the karate classes. This was a huge advantage as the bad guy gave up for the same reason kid safes “grip, dip and spin” techniques work. The bad guy is not going to take too much time on any one kid and he wants the kid in one piece.
There are not guarantees but if a kid (or adult) goes off with a kidnapper – the chances of surviving are not as good if the kid were to fight back, scream “he’s not my dad!” or drop to the ground and hang on. If the kid fights back he or she has a better chance! If they go the with bad guy – they are probably going to get hurt worse or even die.
Parents – I cannot say this strongly enough – talk about and teach your children how to defend themselves! I don’t think it matters so much how you decide to do that but I think much of the common wisdom is good. In the one video on the Canadian story the mom was talking about the kids knowing the password.
I can only assume that meant that they should not get a ride home with an adult that does not know the password (if the parents can not pick up the kids). Whatever your strategy to keep your kids safe – review it often with your kids and keep your kids safe from abductors like the karate kid in this incident!