Parent to Parent: Stranger Danger

WSVN--Re-enactment: "Hi little girl, I'm your mommy's friend. No you're not. Little girl yelling at stranger. Get away!"

What's happening here? Is this child throwing a tantrum or is he really in danger? If this was your child, what would you do? More importantly, what would your child do?

11 year old Mariah Irizarry: "If someone came up to me and just grabbed me I wouldn't just do nothing."

11 year old Ashley Boulier: "You can say no and scream at them. No, stay back!"

Mariah, Ashley, Stasa and Jordan might be kids, but they're not too young to fight off a bad stranger.

10 year old Stasa Lukowski: "If they pick you up, especially on your block, you go no no no you're not my mom."

That's just one of the lessons these kids are learning at Resist Aggression Defensively or the RAD kids class at the Davie Police Department.

Davie Police Officer Tiffany Richards: "Unfortunately you see too often children who get abducted and I just wanted to make sure that my children whether they are my own personal children or children that I teach in class, that they are kept safe."

Instructor and Jordan's mom, Tiffany Richards, teaches the children how to avoid abduction...

Tiffany Richards: "We have a 3 second rule, you should not be more than 3 second away from mom or dad."

How to spot a stranger...And what to do if they encounter one face to face.

Tiffany Richards: "It's not neccessarily fighting. We teach them vulnerable parts of the body to at least you know stun the aggressor for a second or two to be able to escape the situation."

That's why 7 parenting expert Dr. Sally Goldberg says parents must start stranger danger training when their child's a toddler. Begin by explaining to your child that there are good and bad strangers.

7 Parenting Expert Dr. Sally Goldberg: "If you see a person come up to you and talk to you when you're not with an adult, then becareful."

Set up a secret safety code word or phrase.

Dr. Sally Goldberg: "That code word will be a signal to your child that this is not a stranger, that this is a friend of the family."

If attacked, scream loudly. Dr. Sally also says scatter your belongings. Then seek out a building to run to or an adult behind a cash register or in uniform, who you can ask for help. Never get into a stranger's car. Most important, tell your child to trust their instincts. That's exactly what Mariah, Ashley, Stasa and Jordan have now, great instincts and the know how to fight back!

Mariah Irizarry: "Now I know what to do and I know new techniques."

One more tip - always keep an up to date photograph with your child's current height, weight and fingerprints.

E-MAIL QUESTIONS TO:
parent@wsvn.com

DR. SALLY GOLDBERG'S WEBSITE:
www.drsallyparenting.com

R.A.D. (Resist Aggression Defensively)
Kids Class At Davie Police Department
954-693-8256