Starting at an early age (around age four), children should be taught that there are only a couple of people trusted and approved to pick them up from any location in case of an emergency. These handful of trusted adults must tell the child the family code word before a child is to get into their car. If the adult cannot remember the code word, they are NOT to enter the car! At this point, every attempt should be made to contact the parents for verification. You must teach your child to disbelieve anyone who shows up and offers a ride if they don't know the correct code word!
A family code word should be something the child can easily remember, but not common enough that anyone could guess. For example, do not use any of the family member's names, the dog's name or street name. Your child should understand that no one, absolutely NO ONE, is to be told the code word under any circumstances! This is especially important to stress upon young kids who may want to impress their your friends with a secret.
If an emergency situation arises, and the code word is exposed to others when used, you should pick a new family code word immediately. Impress upon your child the importance of ignoring the old code word once a new one has been selected. Review the new word frequently and test the child on occasion to keep it fresh in their minds. This activity not only reinforces the new code word in the child's mind, it is an important refresher for the entire family.
Always remember – “If You Fail to Plan, Then Plan to Fail”.
#safeandunafraid
