Ensuring kids' safety during holidays

Donya Betancourt, Pediatrician, drdonya@hotmail.com

Christmas or the New Year means it is time to buy gifts for loved ones. It is also a time when reports about children getting separated from parents during shopping trips are common.

Most children pass through childhood without experiencing physical harm or pain from any type of crime. It is the parents' responsibility to teach children how to protect themselves and respond to threatening situations.

You should take the time to listen carefully to your children's fears and feelings about people or places that scare them or make them feel uncomfortable. Parents will want to teach their children their full name, address, area code and phone number and how to make an emergency phone call from home or public phones.

Teach them how to ask a store clerk or security guard for help if they get lost in a store or shopping mall. Show children safe places they can go to during an emergency, like a neighbor's house. Tell them never to go to parking lots alone and never use public restrooms by themselves. Parents should always accompany children to public restrooms. They should never accept gifts or rides from strangers. Tell them they have the right to say "no" to an adult and that nobody, even someone they know, has the right to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.

If your children are home alone after school or during the holiday season, it is important to teach them some basic safety guidelines for their own security. When at home, children should be able to reach you by telephone at work. This is easily accomplished by posting your work number, along with numbers for a neighbor, the police and fire departments and the poison control center, near all of your home phones. Children need to be taught never to open the door to a stranger when they are home alone. Caution them about answering the phone and accidentally letting a stranger know they are alone. They should always say their parents are busy and take a message.

Teaching children an escape plan, in case of fire or other emergency, is a must. They also need to know how to work the door and window locks and make sure they use them when they are inside alone.

This is a wonderful time of year and festivities abound worldwide. People of all cultures, races and religions are taking time to celebrate the passing of one year and the promise of new beginnings in the year ahead.

Parents often take this time of year to reflect on the past twelve months and assess what has happened through the course of time.

A great way to get a better perspective of our children is to look at the photo album and take a good look at how much our children have grown physically over the last 365 days. When we see how much they have matured on the outside it will give us a greater insight as to how much they are growing mentally as well. We must remember life never stops for our children. Their minds continue to be like sponges, absorbing everything that comes their way. With their new knowledge comes new responsibility.

As parents, the sooner we teach our children the true meaning of being responsible, accountable and reliable the sooner we will all see positive social, economic, physical, spiritual and mental change for everyone.

Happy holidays and good health to you and yours.