Henderson
Master Black Belt
Rhetorical questions.....
How many people tell their children "don't talk to strangers?"
Why is this done?
A poll of elementary school children will almost always reveal that the majority of the children have been told "Don't talk to strangers" by their parents. Why does this happen? Every person we know (relatives excluded) has at one point been a stranger. Your best friend hasn't always been your best friend.
I think the point I'm trying to make is that parents, in general, send mixed and incorrect messages to their kids. Kids are told "don't talk to strangers" and then are instructed to "say hello to Mr Johnson". "Don't talk to strangers"...."help that nice lady with her grocery bags." I'm all in favor of kids saying hello to Mr Johnson or helping the lady with her bags. But why the antiquated thinking about strangers?
I think any LEO on this forum can provide a more accurate statistic, but I believe that the percentage of sexual molestations against children by complete strangers is somewhere in the neighborhood of 15%. Where does the other 85% come from? People the victim (child) knows!!! Children have a sense of intuition about them. When little Suzie says, "I don't like Uncle Michael, he makes me feel funny", there is likely a good reason for it. But comments like this are usually met with angry statements like "He's my brother. You be nice to him."
Children have not yet been jaded by the world, nor do they feel they have to say all the right things to keep people happy. They are smarter, and more in tune with their surroundings than most adults give them credit for. Listen to them!!
How many people tell their children "don't talk to strangers?"
Why is this done?
A poll of elementary school children will almost always reveal that the majority of the children have been told "Don't talk to strangers" by their parents. Why does this happen? Every person we know (relatives excluded) has at one point been a stranger. Your best friend hasn't always been your best friend.
I think the point I'm trying to make is that parents, in general, send mixed and incorrect messages to their kids. Kids are told "don't talk to strangers" and then are instructed to "say hello to Mr Johnson". "Don't talk to strangers"...."help that nice lady with her grocery bags." I'm all in favor of kids saying hello to Mr Johnson or helping the lady with her bags. But why the antiquated thinking about strangers?
I think any LEO on this forum can provide a more accurate statistic, but I believe that the percentage of sexual molestations against children by complete strangers is somewhere in the neighborhood of 15%. Where does the other 85% come from? People the victim (child) knows!!! Children have a sense of intuition about them. When little Suzie says, "I don't like Uncle Michael, he makes me feel funny", there is likely a good reason for it. But comments like this are usually met with angry statements like "He's my brother. You be nice to him."
Children have not yet been jaded by the world, nor do they feel they have to say all the right things to keep people happy. They are smarter, and more in tune with their surroundings than most adults give them credit for. Listen to them!!
