5 Rules of Safety for Children

Teach your children the 5 Rules of Safety: 1. Use your mind- Children should be taught to reconize situations that may endanger them, such as crossing streets, jumping into unfamiliar water, hanging with questionable peers, and going into any home without their parents' permission.  2. Use Your Words- Teach you children how to say "NO" and verbalize their feelings if they don't like a situation or suggestion by someone to do something unsafe.  Also, the must be confortable to loudly yell when faced with stranger-danger.  Yelling "NO"-Stranger then running away may save their life.   3. Use Your Legs- Especially when faced with bullying situations cheildren must know when to just walk away.  Instead of facing verbal threats with an exchange of words sometimes it is best to just walk away.  Using your legs in such a situation can often disarm a bully.  Often bullies empowered by getting a reaction out of their victims.  By walking away from the bully and offering no reaction at all it disables one of the weapons that a bully has. 4. Ask For Help- Many children are bullied, yet the parents may not have any idea at all that this is happening.  Over 77% of youth have been bullied in their lifetime.  With such a large percentage of bullying occuring it is very likely that your child too has been a victim.  Is your child comfortable enough to ask you or some other adult for help?  It is important that they are comfortable enough. 5. Defend Yourself- The final step is to physically defend yourself.  This should always be a last resort because very few situations are resolved through physical means.  However, at the same time a child must be comfortable enough to feel that they do have the power to prevent injury to themself if threatened with bodily harm.  Soccer, football, baseball and other sports are great activities but none of them will give a child the knowledge to protect themselves if faced with bodily harm.  Martial arts gives a young person focus, confidence, discipline and the self-confidence to face unlimited challenges in life.