How not to lose a child in the crowd, on the street and in the store

Recently, the whole family went to a large shoppingCentre. They heard an announcement that a lost girl of three years was expecting her parents in such and such a place. Two thoughts arose: the girl is the same age as my son, and this is unlikely to happen to us, because my child does not leave us a single step. And the wise life immediately taught me a lesson.A photo: Getty Images The child went to play on the playground of the shopping center, at which time his father looked after him, standing aside. The son, having played enough, was lost in space, forgot where he left his father, and went barefoot to look for him in the opposite direction. In the few seconds that dad ran to the child, the latter managed to be scared to horror. And what if dad looked at the phone, and not at the child at that very turning point? Every parent knows the basic safety rules that he teaches his children. Do not open the door to strangers, do not talk to strangers, do not get into other people's cars, do not enter other people's entrances, apartments, elevators with strangers, etc. This is definitely the golden, important and necessary rules. But there are still those that do not lie on the surface, but which are also useful to remember.

Important rules

1.There is no need to wait three days to file a police report. I can’t imagine parents sitting idly by when their child goes missing. However, representatives of search teams claim that this is a fairly common mistake. The three-day rule has long been out of place, and the police are required to accept and register your report and immediately begin searching. A successful outcome in this case is much more likely. In addition to the police, it is useful to seek help from volunteer search teams such as Liza Alert (hotline 8 800 700 54 52). 2. It is important to teach your child to say “no”. A child who is used to unquestioningly obeying adults is in danger. Remove “you must obey your elders” from your family rules. You must not. The child obeys his parents and those who look after him (grandmother, nanny). He may well ignore strangers. And it does not matter if someone considers him impolite. An adequate adult will understand everything correctly. And the ability to say “no” will protect you from an inadequate child. Here I would like to remind you that if a child does not want to kiss or hug someone, even if it is a relative, you should not force them. This is how the child learns to defend their boundaries. 3. Emotional contact with a parent is of great importance. Encourage your child to talk about what worries them, do not brush them off, listen. Otherwise, you may miss something very important. 4. Allow your child to scream. How often do we reprimand our restless children who exceed the permissible noise level? Set rules for when and where screaming is allowed, when and where it is undesirable. But do not forbid it. Firstly, screaming is good for physical and mental health, and secondly, it will help attract much-needed attention in emergency situations. This also includes permission to show aggression and protect yourself. 5. Parents should remember that children will not learn a single rule the first time. Everything needs to be repeated, role-played, rehearsed. It is useful to conduct experiments, involving familiar people who will try to take your children away from the playground, and then say everything over and over again.Photo: Getty Images

Now some application tips.

Make sure the child knows his and your name, surname, address and telephone number. Babies can put their business cards in their pockets or write contacts on the internal clothing tags.
Buy children bright clothes with reflective elements. Gray, black, brown, of course, more practical, but we are talking about security.
Carry a photo of the child. And do not forget to update the picture at least once every six months, so that you always have a fresh photo with you.
Tell your child who you can and should ask for help: these are policemen, employees of the shopping center, passers-by with children.
Arrange with older children where you canmeet in case you get lost. They should know that in a public place you can get lost, even a little gaping. And it's not scary, because they will always find.