We teach our children not to talk to strangers and about various aspects of stranger safety and awareness, but we might not know that we can coach our children to physically appear more “together” and less likely to be a victim. I am not talking about harping and harassing a child to “look tough”—but there are things that we can do as parents to help our children learn how to NOT appear like a victim.
Years ago, when my younger sister was in college, she took a self-defense class geared toward young women. She learned a great deal about how to just physically stand, move, and posture oneself to decrease the likelihood of being a victim of physical or verbal harassment. As we send our kids out into the world (and this includes just going to school), we can help them be have a strong physical presence. My sister taught me the line “Walk like you mean it.” This could be expanded to standing, talking, etc. The idea being that by having strong, straight posture, walking with purpose and direction and looking people directly in the eye when passing or talking to them—we show the world that we are steady and strong and “mean business.”
It may seem simple, but teaching our kids how to have strong, straight posture and how to look and deal directly with people can help keep them from being considered “victim” material. When kids seem slouchy and look down at their feet, shuffling along or meandering when they walk—it can send a message to other kids, bully’s and abusers that they will not put up a fight and are prime targets for getting picked on.
Again, I am not advocating barking and telling our kids to “stand up straight” every five minutes, but gentle and persistent coaxing around how to hold oneself physically in public can give them confidence, while decreasing the chances that they will be targeted for a victim.
Also: Teach Your Child How To Talk to Strangers
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