I don't know how much to talk to my kids about 'bad guys'. I mean, of course they know they exist, but I don't see any reason to fill them full of ideas that the world is a horrible place with terror at every turn. We don't talk about it much. They know simple things. Don't open the door to strangers. Don't get in anyone's car. Blah Blah Blah. I don't think I've ever told them not to talk to strangers, but this is probably because I'm with them all the time. And they see me talk to strangers all the time. Is this bad? I don't know. I have a hard time believing that a)they would talk to strangers, shy as they are and b)talking to a stranger is going to make the difference between kidnapped and not kidnapped.
So we're going on our walk today. It was h.o.t. HOT out. The girlies had their sunglasses on, we were sunblocked up, ready to go. The boys decided to stay behind and play football in the yard, so it was just the ladies. We get less than a quarter mile from home and girly wants to go back. Tiny and I have been planning all day to go ALL THE WAY TO THE SWIMMING POOL (about a mile, which is a lot for a 5 year old in the heat, but she wanted to go, so), so I said 'well, we'll just take girly back and then we'll go on our own.'
Tiny: I'll just stay here. If a bad guy comes, I'll say "go away!"
me: Nope. We all have to stick together.
Tiny: I'll tell the bad guys I have chicken pox! Then they won't want to pick me up!
Girly: Psh. You don't even have a marker to make the spots.
So. Bad guys. Should I be telling my kids all about the horrors of the world? I mean, my mom told me every 3 minutes that I could end up dead in a ditch if I waved at people driving by. And I turned out alright. *eyes you all suspiciously*
I'm with you. They'll get scared enough once they start reading the newspaper.
ReplyDeletePlus, when they are old enough to have to worry about it, they will be in that "no fear" stage of adolescent/teenage. You will just provide them for things to try out because Mom said not to.
True. I hadn't thought of it that way. My kids are super attached to me anyway. They're very rarely not right by my side. I do wonder a little how much supervision goes on at their dad's house. He lives in kind of a creepy town, too. :/ But other than that, I'm pretty sure it'll be just fine. They're shy enough and smart enough that I don't think I need to spell out 'STRANGER DANGER' every day. hopefully.
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