Protecting our kids::Ways parents can protect their kids::We should shield children from harmful influences

I am a parent so i have shared the fear all parents face at some time in the life, the safety of your child. Child molesters, sex offenders and others who are potential threats to a child are abominable people in my estimation. How can any punishment handed out by humans ever compensate for the innocence stolen from a child by this type of act? I cannot fathom how I would deal with someone who inflicted such pain on my child.

I also believe as parents we have an awesome responsibility to protect our children from child abuse either by other family members or our spouse. Kids safety starts at home and is as important there as anywhere our children are. They need to know they have aq refuge from all the nastiness in this world. Learn the signs of child abuse to insure your kids safety. Kid safe homes should be a priority more than the latest appliances or electronics.

The rash of situations where our children are not safe in their schools anymore removes another place generally considered to be a dependable safe haven for our kids. Of all the places where security is a concern, this is the place where our children will spend the second longest period of their day. Unfortunately home safety is also something parents must face as we have so many situations where due to work commitments children are left at home after school with little parental guidance or protection.

In this hub I want to share some thoughts on how a parent can responsibly attend to their child's safety. Included are parenting tips from one with 15 years of practical experience as well as parenting advice, which I hope is taken in the spirit it is presented. I was and am always willing to receive parenting help from any source as their is no manual provided when you receive your child in the birthing suite of our local hospitals. Developing parenting skills is a true example of on the job training. Parent education occurs moment by moment and trial by trial, but hopefully hubs like the one that follows can broaden the knowledge base available for those seeking information.

One way to protect children is to instill in them values which by their nature build a protective wall around your children. I am a Christian and have strong and solid beliefs about what is acceptable and what is not. I have worked diligently to transfer these beliefs to my children, so they may use this as a guide in all situations in their life.

Some would say I am imposing strict standards on my children and I suppose that is true. But I am their parent and ultimately responsible for the formation of their young lives. If you allow a child to make every decision they will choose ones that can harm them if not immediately, over time. It scares me just how many children we come in contact with have absolutely no parental guidance to rely on. I worry about them as they mature and render a similar parental experience on their offspring.

In my humble opinion, a good marriage is a critical pillar in the foundation of a safe place for your child. I feel a child needs a stable male and female influence in their life to form into the best adult they can be. There are strengths provided by both parents that are vital to the proper development of children. This has become the topic of a lively debate as some argue that it is possible for children to thrive in all situations, but this is my belief.

A home populated by a two parent team that is committed to life-long marriage gives the children the benefit of being able to develop without the insecurities that make them look outside the home for things that they are missing. Many of the trouble children experience come from these needs they seek from any source that will supply them. When your child takes this route, you are not in control of the influence they receive.

Every home has different dynamics that drive the development of the children. As with any experience, this will affect the way your children will build friendships. Your desire is for your children to seek friendships with those of a like minded philosophy. If this happens, you can be fairly confident your child will not be exposed to the things you try to counsel them against.

It is impractical to believe you can control who your child builds relationships with as they navigate their way through school. Each class they are in will have at least twenty children with varying situations. Some are rich, some poor, big families, small ones, one parent, no parent or two parents, each factor delivering a different experience and differing level of care.

I find it interesting to watch who my children choose to befriend. For the most part it is children with similar thoughts and interest to them. I feel gratified that I have positively influenced them as they prepare for their journey into adulthood.

There is such an offering of opportunities out there that I chose not to undertake as I was growing up. Drugs, alcohol, premarital sex and other things that seem to be “normal” these days were just never a part of my life. I have worked hard to instill the same feelings and value in my children. Again, this is a personal choice, but I have seen so much merit in this feeling due to the experiences of others.

Experimentation sounds like such an innocent word until you get hooked to the point of addiction, or find out that the other party is pregnant with a child. At this point you cannot turn around and say, okay I learned my lesson, I will move on. It is vital as parents that we educate our children about the dangers lurking in every corner to draw them in and take over their lives.

It may be less possible to protect our kids from every danger Society presents today, but I will not stop trying. If you love your kids you just cannot turn a blind eye to this evil.

I am sickened by the number of stories on the cable news programs about children being abducted and abused or murdered. I have always had concerns about the safety of my children in this regard. My daughter was eight years old before I let her go to the women’s bath room alone. Even then I stayed right outside the door, anxiously wondering if she was okay.

The chance of a predator coming in contact with your child used to be rare, now it makes you take stock of anyone coming in contact with your child. I cannot imagine the grief and feeling of failure if my children were to fall victim to this appalling experience.

Protecting your children will obviously include doing all you can to make sure they have a secure lifestyle; to me that means not putting them in risky environments. This is probably synonymous with good parenting, but perhaps there is merit in exploring that though for a moment.

There was a story in the local paper just a few days ago about a 4 yr old boy who was killed by his step-father and mother, who had sought temporary custody and took the child half the country away, where he was physically abused and ultimately killed. His father feels victimized by a system that did not consider the risk to the child’s security, but only operated on a platform of fairness to both sides of the custody battle.

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