A South Milwaukee parent told me that Thursday evening a stranger approached her daughter outside their house and asked if her parents were home – and then drove away after a few minutes upon seeing the girl’s older sister come to the door.
I checked, and police do not believe there was anything nefarious happening here, but I think it’s a good opportunity to remind parents (including me) about a few tips about what to teach kids about strangers.
Here is some information from the National Crime Prevention Council …
- Know where your children are at all times. Make it a rule that your children must ask permission or check in with you before going anywhere. Give your children your work and cell phone numbers so they can reach you at all times.
- Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and safe places to go if there’s trouble.
- Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult. Tell them that sometimes adults they know may make them feel uncomfortable, and they should still get away as fast as possible and tell another adult what happened. Reassure children that you will help them when they need it.
- Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure they know that it’s okay to say no to an adult and to run away from adults in dangerous situations.
- Encourage your children to play with others. There’s safety in numbers!
And, of course, if you ever suspect anything suspicious, please contact the police.
South Milwaukee is a very safe place — look for another blog post in coming days with statistics backing this up — but we should always be vigilant.
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