As a kid, you probably learned about "stranger danger," and if you're a parent, there's a good chance you passed that lesson along to your kids.
If you're not familiar with the "stranger danger" concept, it's a lesson many parents choose to teach their children that tells them not to talk to strangers, since it could be dangerous.
It's a relatively straight-forward idea, but many parents know that it's flawed — what if something happens to a parent, and a kid is too afraid to ask a stranger for help.
That's why one woman chose not to teach her kids about "stranger danger," but instead taught them about a concept called "tricky people."
Jodie Norton told LittleThings, "The 'stranger danger' concept that we were told as kids is, unfortunately, such a vague concept. My children see me talk to strangers all the time, and they’ll likely need the help of a stranger in the future! And, unfortunately, strangers that are a danger to children don’t usually look like the scary mold children are expecting. Teaching the 'tricky person' concept instead — that it’s not what a person looks like, but what they’re asking you to do — gives children a concrete way of identifying someone that may want to do them harm."
Recently, two of Jodie's children had to use the "tricky person" idea when they were approached by strangers, and it could have saved them from potential abduction.
[H/T Daily Mail]
Thumbnail: Instagram / Pixabay
Jodie — a blogger, author, and mom of four — recounted the possible abduction story on her blog, Time Well Spent.
She explained that early one morning she felt a blinding pain in her gut that left her doubled over.
Somehow, she managed to get dressed and get her kids in the car so she could drive herself to the hospital.
In the car, she called her parents, who arranged for a neighbor to pick up Jodie's two older sons and take them to school.
(She adds, "I realized after this all blew over how foolish it was for me to drive while in intense pain. Be smarter than I was – call an ambulance!")
When they arrived at the hospital, Jodie took her two younger children into the emergency room with her.
"In a moment of what I deem foggy-thinking 'pain brain,' I left my oldest two boys outside the ER door on a bench to await our kind neighbor."
While Jodie was being diagnosed with a ruptured ovarian cyst, the boys sat outside for 40 minutes waiting for their ride.
Jodie had assumed the neighbor was at home, only five minutes away, but he was actually much farther.
In the 40 minutes that they sat waiting, the "two boys experienced their first real-world experience with the freaky, perverted strangers they've been intermittently warned about."
After school, they told Jodie what happened, and their story shook her to the core.
While sitting on the bench, they were approached by a woman and two men who told them they needed help.
They asked the boys to go into the bathroom where the woman's boyfriend was "hiding" from the doctor.
The strangers hoped the boys could convince the boyfriend to come out of the bathroom.
Jodie's older son, who is 10, told the strangers, "No, thank you," at least three times, while they continued to beg for his help.
Eventually, the boys' neighbor pulled up and the boys jumped into his car, relieved.
As they were driving away, they saw a man come out of the bathroom, get into the car with the other three strangers, and drive off.
When the boys told Jodie this story, she felt "simultaneously sick and grateful."
Her 10-year-old told her how he knew to say no to these strangers.
He said, "Mom, I knew they were tricky people because they were asking us for help. Adults don't ask kids for help."
Jodie explained to LittleThings that although her boys' experience terrified her, it also made her relieved to know they could handle a scary situation like this.
"After this experience with my sons, I’ve been surprised that it hasn’t coerced me into a more helicopter parenting style," she said.
"Rather, it’s given me confidence that kids (all kids—not just mine) can keep themselves safe if they’re given the right tools. And what a blessing because we simply can’t be there every moment to guide and protect them."
She continued, "I feel pretty strongly after this experience that arming our kids with knowledge and strategies of how to keep themselves safe in their great big world empowers them rather than scares them silly."
To learn more about the "tricky people" concept and find other resources for keeping your kids safe and informed, check out Jodie's blog.
If you're encouraged by Jodie's sons' story and think more people should know about the "tricky people" concept, please SHARE this article on Facebook!
