My brother’s girlfriend sent me this video last week. I think it’s a topic worth discussing.
Here’s the synopsis: A man goes to a playground with a fluffy white puppy. He approaches random mothers and explains that he is conducting a social experiment to see if kids will willingly walk away with a stranger with a smile on his face and a puppy in his arms or not. Every single mummy is certain that their child will put what they have learnt about talking to strangers into action and run away, returning to their parents’ safe embrace. Of course, they don’t. One by one, the kids take the man’s hand and walk off, leaving their mothers gobsmacked, to say the least.
I’m not sure what to make of this video. On the one hand I think it is important that kids are aware of the fact that bad people walk the face of this earth too even if they are a minority. On the other hand, I do not want to hammer fear into my child and crush his friendly spirit and curiosity. I do not want to take the fun out of talking to strangers as we go about our day.
The first time I spoke to Georgie about strangers was a couple of months ago when he turned four. I explained that it is perfectly ok to speak to people we do not know but he is never to go anywhere without mummy knowing. This, I have to note, is not limited to just strangers since we all know that many cases of kidnapping involve people that know the child and the family. Whoever it is, the instructions are clear: mummy or daddy must know.
Recently, I took things to the next level and told Georgie what he should do if he is ever grabbed by someone. Scary? But don’t you think also necessary? Just yesterday he was telling his yiayia what he will do if that was ever to happen. “I will hit him on the head and scratch him and shout as loud as I can.” Listening to him say it, matter-of-factly, made me feel a bit better about talking it over with him at this age. He didn’t seem scared or worried. The words simply came out of his mouth as if he were talking about toilet manners or the type of sweets he is allowed to eat. I wonder, is that a good thing? At the end of the day, all I can do is follow my instincts and trust those of my child’s because yes, kids have instincts too. I would love to hear from you and how you have dealt with this issue if you have at all.
