Keeping Your Children Safe

The greatest fear of a parent is that their child will one day disappear or be brutalized. Indeed it is a realistic fear. There are people out there who prey specifically on children and with the recent news stories of children being recovered after years of being gone it can be scary just letting your kid cross the street without holding your hand. Keeping in mind the dangers of the world here are some tips on keeping your child safe. You should consider sharing these with your children as well.

Fingerprints and DNA.
There are many agencies that now supply parents with fingerprinting and DNA kits. DNA and fingerprints are two things that don't change over time, unlike your child's appearance. You may also want to include a set of dental records. Hopefully you won't ever need them.

Take pictures.
Take pictures of your child(ren) regularly. You may also want to take pictures of any identifying marks. Scars, birthmarks, and the like. These will help the police in case your child does go missing.

Self-defense.
You and your child should attend a basic self-defense class. This will be beneficial for you and your child. A good self-defense teacher should be able to teach you how to imobilize someone without killing or permanently damaging them. My next piece of advice is probably going to be controversial. You and your child should probably attend a gun safety class. This is a "what if" precaution only. Some kidnappers may use a gun as a threat. If your child has a chance to use it against them, they should know how to use it properly. Of course, before this you need to determine the maturity of your child and decide if this is an appropriate step for you. It may not be, use your judgment.