Keep the Children Safe

Want to keep your children safe? Check out the the latest information from the highly effective National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The latest Dr. Molly Barrow book is an adventure story for children (Barringer Publishing, July 2009) and I contacted Nancy McBride for her assistance and advice. I think we all appreciate the difficult but essential work that is done by this organization. I want to share with my readers part of her reply that suggested the following information.

"The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does not ascribe to the “stranger-danger” message. We have learned children do not have the same understanding of whom a stranger is as an adult might; therefore, it is a difficult concept for the child to grasp. It is much more beneficial to children to help them build the confidence and self-esteem they need to stay as safe as possible in any potentially dangerous situation they encounter, rather than teaching them to be “on the look out” for a particular type of person. The “stranger-danger” message is not effective and, based on what we know about those who harm children, danger to children is greater from someone they or their family knows than from a “stranger.”

I recommend the publication titled Guidelines for Programs to Prevent Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities When Choosing A Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children, available on our web site. This publication provides research and data concerning effective safety messages for children. A copy of an article I wrote titled Child Safety is More Than a Slogan that deals with the issue of “stranger-danger,” is available on this link: http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=713.

NCMEC’s complete Reprint Policy is available at: http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=620.


Nancy A. McBride
National Safety Director
National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children




MOLLY BARROW, PH.D.

http://www.DrMollyBarrow.com
http://www.maliaandteacup.com

Dr. Molly Barrow holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is the author of Matchlines for Singles, Matchline for Couples, and Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure and Malia and Teacup: Out on a Limb. As an authority on relationship and psychological topics,Dr. Barrow is a member of the American Psychological Association, Screen Actors Guild, and Authors Guild and is a licensed mental health counselor. Dr. Molly has appeared as an expert in the film, My Suicide, documentaries Ready to Explode and KTLA Impact, NBC news, PBS In Focus, WBZT talk radio, and in O Magazine, Psychology Today, Newsday, New York Times, CNN, The Nest, MSN.com, Yahoo, Match.com, Women's Health, Harvard Business School, Women's World, has a radio show on blogtalkradio.com and is a columnist for Menstuff.org.

Leapfrog Parenting Tips

I hope you will enjoy these excellent parenting tips from the website
http://www.leapfrog.com/

Learning Tips
Before, during and afterWhen you are planning an outing with your child, encourage your child to talk about it before, during and after.
Ask questionsAsk questions that require your child to give more than a yes or no response.
Story timeAsk your child to tell you a story, then ask questions that help your child keep the story going and add details.
Picture storiesSpark your child’s imagination and interest in reading and creative writing.
Short names, long namesTest your child by asking her to tell you which of two names sounds longer.
I SpyHelp your child learn the letters in her name by playing I Spy.
Beginning soundsTeach your child letter sounds by helping him come up with words that begin with the same sound as the first letter in his name.
Shopping for lettersAt the grocery store, search for items that begin with a particular sound.
Tasty TsWherever you and your child go, find ten things that can be tasted and begin with the letter T.
Learning the letter sounds through rhymeRhyme is a fun way to reinforce letter-sound associations.
Rhyme timeTeach your child simple rhymes to say along with you.
Blue shoe, fat catPlay this game with your child to create simple rhymes together.
Red letter dayChallenge your child to discover how many ways she can use or identify the assigned letter of the day.
Somewhere over the rainbowStretch your child's vocabulary and his acquaintance with colors using a simple box of crayons.
Comprehending storiesAt different points in a story you read aloud, ask your child to recount what’s happened so far.
Build comprehension strategiesDiscuss story characters and their actions to help your child comprehend and interpret what has just been heard.
Six-pack recycleHelp your child understand that a numeral can represent a number of objects.
ConstancyHelp your child grasp the concept that the number of things does not change if they are rearranged.
Toy orderingOrdering and sequencing in daily routines prepares your child for addition and subtraction.
Take stockAsking your child to take inventory of the pantry and help create a shopping list will teach him how to sort and classify.
Math at the marketHelp your child develop their sense of volume, space and quantity.
ClassificationPutting away groceries can be an opportunity for your child to learn sorting and classification.
What to wearHelp your child develop autonomy and sense of self.



MOLLY BARROW, PH.D.

http://www.DrMollyBarrow.com
http://www.maliaandteacup.com

Dr. Molly Barrow holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is the author of Matchlines for Singles, Matchline for Couples, and Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure and Malia and Teacup: Out on a Limb. As an authority on relationship and psychological topics,Dr. Barrow is a member of the American Psychological Association, Screen Actors Guild, and Authors Guild and is a licensed mental health counselor. Dr. Molly has appeared as an expert in the film, My Suicide, documentaries Ready to Explode and KTLA Impact, NBC news, PBS In Focus, WBZT talk radio, and in O Magazine, Psychology Today, Newsday, New York Times, CNN, The Nest, MSN.com, Yahoo, Match.com, Women's Health, Harvard Business School, Women's World, has a radio show on blogtalkradio.com and is a columnist for Menstuff.org.