Don’t touch my baby!
Isn’t it annoying when strangers
treat you like a child with a new doll the first time you’re out with your new-born?
It’s stressful enough just getting out of the house and going shopping with
your precious bundle, without having to worry about people poking their germy
fingers at your baby, giving you advice, telling you what you should and
shouldn’t be doing – down to kissing your baby. Some people even pick your baby
up or pluck him from your arms without so much as a ‘may I?’
Where I come from, many women still
carry their babies on their backs. Not only does this keep them snug and safe,
it also tells strangers ‘back off’. If people are getting too close to their
babies, women simply turn their babies away from them. Push-chair babies are
more vulnerable.
Toddlers are shy and weary of
strangers – and that’s a good thing. Your tot is not being impolite when s/he
doesn’t want to greet friends s/he doesn’t know or turns away when kissed. I
don’t believe in insisting that your child kisses everybody. Respect and trust
need to be earned. Parenting needs to be consistent. How can you warn your
child not to take a sweetie from a stranger when you’ve taught them to be nice
to everybody?
As children grow older, outgoing
children like to greet friendly-looking strangers and talk to them. Although they
instinctively have a ‘gut-feeling’ about who’s approachable and who’s not, some
really nasty people with nastier intentions look safe and friendly. You need to
be with your child, constantly reassuring them and talking to them about people
you meet when you’re together. When children feel secure at home, they feel
secure when they’re with you, even when they’re amongst strangers.
The big step into the unknown (for
you and your child) comes when school-age children spend time out with their
friends and stay for sleep-overs. You need to feel comfortable with their
friends’ parents and trust that your child will be safe with them. Your child
also needs to know that if they want to come home (even if it’s in the middle
of the night) they can.
For 'stranger-danger' tips for
parents and kids, go to: https://www.safety4kids.com.au/safety-zone_stranger-danger
