It’s that Christmas time of year again; time to decorate the house, spend time with family and the most dreadful of all, Christmas shopping. I know there are some people who love shopping, they scour the newspaper for the best deals and then they hit the streets, but I am not one of them. For me, there is no more horrible thing than to be in a department store surrounded by hundreds of people scavenging for a toy or a shirt. One way to make the holiday shopping season even worse is to have your children with you. My children are generally good kids, but ugh, there are times when we go out, they are a handful. There are parents out there with more children than me, and I see them out and all I can think is, “God bless them.” I don’t know how they do it but they have way more strength than me.
Children are children, they are going to play and not pay attention and sometimes they will get lost. One of my biggest fears is to be at a busy store turn around and not find my kids. It may be an irrational thought but it scares me to death. So I use this time of year to talk to my kids about safety. Here are a few tips taken from the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children that I use when I talk to by children about shopping safety.
1. Make certain you children know to stay with you at all times and they need to ask you permission before they go anywhere. It only takes a few seconds for a child to get lost in a busy store. So tell your children to stay at your side at all times.
2. If older children get lost, have a pre-designated spot to meet. Pick a place such as a counter or an information booth that both of you know to go to in case you get separated.
3. Teach children who they can talk to for help. We often warn children of strangers, but they also need to know that there are strangers who can be helpful. Let your children know that they can approach someone behind a counter, a uniformed law-enforcement officer or security guard, or another parent with children.
4. Never leave your children alone. It’s far too easy to leave your children in the toy section or in another “fun” part of the store while you venture off. It is these moments where bad things can happen. It is also the place where predators tend to gravitate. Predators know how to find unsupervised children; don’t make their jobs easier by allowing it to happen.
5. Teach your children how to be lost. Being lost is scary for children; they are away from their loved ones surrounded by strangers and in a strange environment. In this situation, it is easy for a child to lose their composure. So teach your children to be strong, walk tall and be confident. They may be lost but they don’t have to be scared. With the other tips, your child will have the strengths and tools necessary to become unlost. Remember, there are predators out there looking for children who are alone and scared. They make the best targets.
For me shopping is a chore, I don’t like it and I probably never will. With my children, shopping is even worse. Though I don’t like it I know it has to be done and I know I can use this as a teaching activity for my boys and girl. They are the only children I will ever have so it is my responsibility to make sure they are safe. Make keeping your children safe during this holiday season and every season your responsibility too.
Steve Martinez is executive director of the archdiocesan Office of Victim Assistance and Safe Environment.