Safeguard your children by reinforcing these safety habits.
The summer has disappeared and back to school season is already upon us. As you prepare children of all ages to enter the new school year, now is a great time to review common safety issues and discuss the ones that apply to your family with your kids. Although this highlights Pre-Teens and Teens, safety should be discussed with all age groups.
Pre-Teens
Monitor their social networking. Talk to your children about their web activity, and why it is so important to stay safe on social media sites like Facebook. Encourage them not to connect with people they don’t know in real life, and to keep posting personal information to a minimum.
Don’t ignore kidnapping risks. Pre-teens become very busy with friends and after school activities, they can also be easily distracted. It is absolutely essential for you to instill safe behaviors, review rules while they are out and about, and remind them that people with bad intentions can be very creative with their attempts to lure them into dangerous situations. Cell phones are a must for safety and be sure you know who your kids are hanging around with; get to know their friends.
Teens
Reinforce safe driving habits. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. Set curfews and boundaries for your new driver and ensure that he or she does not have more than one passenger in the vehicle or uses their phone while behind the wheel.
Talk travel. High school trips are exciting for your young adult. Destinations might be far from home, include sleeping away and travel might even be to a foreign land. While away, teens might become insecure, fearful and accidently fall into trouble. Discuss the safety rules of the school or travel company, your own personal rules for travel and safety, and study their destination with them before they leave. Be sure there is a plan for contact by phone and know all the places they will visit and sleep.
Work smart. Your teenager may look to make some extra cash with an after-school job. Before taking on a new role, ensure that they are properly trained by management and supervised by the workplace staff accordingly. If your teen is tutoring or babysitting in someone else’s home, get to know the parents that they will be working for. Evaluate if your teen is ready for the added responsibility.
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