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Teaching
Personal Protection
by
Cherie Logan
What do we
teach
our children about the dangers of our society? What concerns
should
we address and if we do, will our children be left so fearful that they
cease to enjoy life? Here are some ideas on what and how to teach
our children about personal safety. These are not the standard
suggestions
as they can be found everywhere. These are observations I have
made
that are less spoken of but I feel are important.
Be cautious
about role
playing and teaching children things like Never Get Into a Car.
Tests
were done on children who had role played things like: Can you help me
find my puppy? The children that had role played that situation
always
said no. But...when asked to help find a lost
kitten...well...that
wasn't part of the role play and they usually said yes. Role play
would have to include lots of possible scenes and explanations.
Children
learn by repetition. I call this Celestial (or God's) Learning
Pattern.
Teach a little. Return and teach the exact same thing with a
little
more added. Keep the process until all information is
given.
Build layer by layer.
Recognize your
own weak
areas. Are you so focused on adult molestation of your child that
the thought that another child only a year older might be the attacker
never enters your mind? How will you deal with it? Talk it
out first with your companion. Talk about the possibility of
another
innocent child being the one who innocently molests your own
innocent.
The real attacker is the adult who harmed the child, but your child
suffers
the consequence nonetheless. What if it is a family member?
What if it is your child who is harming? Once these things are
discussed
between parents they can be set aside and drawn on only if ever
needed.
Pray always for the time when secret wolves will be taken and the world
left for us real lambs.
We live in a
world at
war. We are truly at war with Satan and his attacks on the family
and the innocents.
By harming
a child
in a family, he can often destroy the entire family. Strengthen
your
Gospel knowledge.
Don't fall
for the
misconception that the Lord causes sin in order to make people
stronger.
This will surely hurt others in the long run, blaming God for serious
harm.
The Lord never causes sin. The Lord never tempts.
Yes.
He will take harm and bless our lives, strengthening us as we struggle
to overcome the harm's effects. We are blessed by him.
But...he
did not ever force the crime. If the crime was part of God's plan
for us...then there would be no repentance possible for the
criminal.
Our job is to overcome the effects of sin through repentance if it is
our
cause, or through faith and allowing comfort if we are the
victims.
For true repentance to be possible...the criminal must be responsible
for
the crime.
Because of the
time
that we live in we have to teach our children to survive through
companionship.
Go out to the trash together if the trash is kept in the garage - front
yard area. Always go with somebody to the store, especially at
night.
You follow the same rule...teach by example. Talk, talk,
talk.
You can frighten them. We live in frightening times. Some
children
become more frightened than others. Watch carefully for signs of
unhealthy fright.
Teach that if
fear is
the driving emotion then the Holy Ghost is tuned out. I did an
exercise
with some young girls in our church. I was part of a pilot
program
that eventually developed into the Achievement Days program. I
had
the girls close their eyes and I told a very scary story about them
walking
alone to their friend's home three doors down. It was dark.
The wind was blowing, They could hear their footsteps. And
suddenly
they heard a rustle in the bushes. (I had built this up quite a
bit
more) Then, a bunny hopped out. I told them that feeling
in
the center of their chest, just above the heart area, it the
Thymus.
It is the organ that registers fear. If it is always in an active
state, then we will not know when the Holy Ghost is the author of that
fear! We need to not be fearful so we can better hear the Spirit
telling us, "Do NOT go to that house!"
Teach that
appearance
means little but can give a clue. Teach your children to find a
mother
or grandmother with children in a public place. They are more
likely
to be safer than the non-child person. It isn't perfect but it is
the best you can offer. Watch your children's reaction to
policemen
and others in uniform. Television and our reactions on the road often
cause
them to be frightened. (on a side note...teach your drivers,
especially
girls, that the law allows them to slowly drive to a well-lit,
populated
place like the grocery story, when a police officer wants to stop
her.
No court will convict her of avoiding when she claims that her actions
were not evasive but were protective of her person.) Watch
television
shows. Often they portray the bad guy as obviously bad.
Talk
about that. You cannot tell at a glance the character of a
person.
But...you can tell at a glance what a person might be like. Pay
attention
to these clues when dealing with child safety. Watch early shows
of Superman - With Dean Cain...The bad guy was quite good looking and
decent.
Talk about that. Teach them that a person's appearance is a
matter
of genetics or accident and that wickedness is a matter of
choice.
We are not to judge a person's eternal salvation, that is Christ's
job.
But we are to be judges, nonetheless. If a person is associating
with others using drugs, or other dangerous crime, we are to make the
educated
decision that such a person would not be a safe baby sitter for our
children!
We may be in error...but, by so deciding, we allow the Holy Ghost to
direct
us otherwise and make the wisest choice beforehand.
Attitude of
the parents
is everything. If the parents are social individuals, filling
callings,
greeting people, smiling, have friends, whatever, the children will
pick
this up even with teachings that might frighten them.
They learn
from your
words that there are things, serious things, to be careful about, and
they
learn from your actions that for the most part, other people are
awesome.
Teach
Innocence.
This is so important. Teach the scary things and teach that the
victim
is innocent before God, no matter what is done to him. Teach it
in
every breath possible. You never know when your child might
become
a victim and needs to know in the deepest parts of his person that he
was
and is still innocent before God. Teach about mixed
responsibility
for sin. If I am raped...it is not my sin. I could repent
until
judgment day and the Lord cannot forgive me. If he forgave me of
a sin I did not commit, he would be party to a lie and would cease to
be
God. He cannot, will not do this. Instead, he send comfort
not forgiveness. There is a difference. For a larger talk
that
I've written on this matter, please contact me.
Sometimes
you are
partial to the sin. If I am raped because I went to the store at
night and ignored the spirit say, don't do that...I must repent of just
the ignoring of the spirit part and the entire sin. My part is
all
I have stewardship and responsibility over. The same for parents
whose children are hurt. You must determine...righteously and
truthfully,
what part is yours and what part is not. Anything less will not
bring
comfort, and healing.
Teach the
righteous
also suffer. Our children should not have the perception that
only
the wicked will be hurt in these last days. Nor should they
believe
that being righteous has no effect because they could be righteous and
also harmed. Teach them clear principles of righteous suffering
because
of the wickedness of others. Death to the wicked is a darkness
beyond
belief. Death for the righteous is sweet for them, personally,
and
connections with family remain intact.
Teach choice
at every
turn, not genetics. When teaching about things like the
destruction
in World War II or whatever, always have your lesson include that a
person
is wicked because of choice, not genetics. For an example...Adam
and Eve brought about the fall resulting in all of us being born
mortal.
That is genetic. They are responsible for their own actions..that
is choice. This is a not-so-subtle ploy of Satan, making the
wealthy
appear wicked and murdering, making the poor appear druggies and
murdering,
having all the Germans in WWII be wicked, thinking that the Jews
crucified
Christ without always recognizing and teaching that it was individuals
who chose their actions. Having the concept that genetics or
culture
and not choice is the source of wickedness eliminates the ability to
repent
and the need for a Savior. It also divides a righteous
people
We are who we are because of choices we make. That is how we are judged.
Teach what to
do when
separated. Don't fall into the silly 911 reaction. By all
means,
teach 911...it really does save lives.
But don't
stop there!!!!!
I taught the Bear Scouts for awhile and we covered this lesson on
safety.
I spent over 15 minutes trying to get my scouts to answer this question
with anything except 911 or public school. "In an emergency
what can you do?" "This is not a life threatening emergency. Your
power just went out in your home." "It is an earthquake."
"Your
toilet is over-flowing!" AUGH!!!! The television show and
school
has dulled their minds! I live in Utah, in a small subdivision
where
active neighbors are next door, across the street, everywhere you
look.
These young boys could only answer: 911 and meet at the school
(teachers
will somehow save them). Finally, they got the picture...the people
your
parents trust, you can trust. (sure, it isn't perfect but we have
to give our children some tools!) If there is a problem, go to
your
neighbor's home, even if your mother never said, "The Sister Smith is
safe,"
you know her from church, your mother
visits
with her, she has children that you play with every day, etc.
Think
about who in your immediate area is considered friends with your
parents!!!!
AUGH!!! I cannot tell you how frustrating. I found that, my own
always-hometaught
son was caught up as well, not able to think past the famous 911.
Teach
Millennium.
Teach the things to come that are positive. While trials and
horrors
may overtake some of us, most of our children are sent these last days
to build the Millennium. Focus on what things will be like then,
under Christ's reign. End every teaching session concerning
horrors
with our eye focused on what lies beyond, what it is all
about...Eternal
Families in the Lord's Kingdom and building a people and a nation under
the reign of Jesus Christ when there will no longer be wolves among us.
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