We have had some more problems with attempted child abductions here in lil' ol' Waukee lately. The news makes a big hubbub for a couple days and then everything dies down. Parents will talk about about it for a while. A child abduction story in the national news that happened in a small town (sound familiar?) will get more attention. Abduction is a big deal but not a lot of people do REAL actions to prevent it.
But then again what are they supposed to do? Talk to their kids about it? Sure, that's what everyone does. But is it enough?
I have taught self-defense and anti-abduction workshops to children as young as the age of four and their parents for several years now. During most of the training, I start off with an example to the parents of what their kids will do in a real scenario. Almost all the children have had a talk with parents and teachers about what to do about strangers, in and out of the house. Time and time again when not knowing who I am, they either walk off with me or let me in. Their parents are usually horrified especially when I use simple "low level" persuasion tactics. An embarrassed Mom and Dad will start telling me that they talk to their kids all the time about abduction and the danger of strangers. I don't blame the parents because, even though there has been dialogue about the subject, the children haven't trained their decision-making in a realistic scenario. This is training that we do for a lot of people and groups, usually for FREE but people don't take advantage of it! Parents who have not seen the abduction training tell me that they talk to their kids and they don't have time for something like that. Pretty short-sighted, huh?
Kids also don't know what to do if someone abducts them. This is another thing that baffles me about parents and their selection of "self-defense training" for their kids. Most of the time they think that a talk about bullies or a couple of lessons from a martial arts school is enough. (Side note: If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know that I have very strong opinions about the sad state of most modern martial arts and fitness studios.) Most studios don't teach effective techniques for real-world situations. A lot of this stuff will get children killed or worse. Our children's training is a scaled-down version of our Combatives courses for adults, law enforcement, and military. It teaches the kids real techniques in many different scenarios so that they actually have practice escaping and getting help under stress. Parents love this because, once they see it, they realize it is so necessary for kids to actually do this training.
That's why it saddens me horribly to see parents only talking about child abduction and, in their ignorance, setting their children up for failure. What would their children think if THEY understood the real situation?
People buy all kinds of insurance just in case something bad happens to their lives, homes, cars, possessions, or health. Why not do something that does a whole lot more toward prevention and counter-abduction?! The training is prevention. Be proactive, not reactive. Action beats reaction. Beat the abductors before they do something to your child!
10 comments:
I wonder just how many self-defense instructors there are compared to the number of consistent self-defense courses there are. And, I mean, good strong courses of real defense- not "don't hurt your attacker" courses! I'm willing to bet that there are far more certified and self-taught instructors than the public is aware of. Considering what we're up against, this is disgraceful. Let's get smart and be proactive about self-defense!
My youngest son was almost abducted back in Nashville when he was 8. He was very lucky! Kids do need a hands-on course that can give them real skills for survival. I would have given anything to have my children be able to get that training when they were young. One of them took some some taekwando and wrestling but that isn't enough. I just get so scared now that I have grandkids. I would love to see every parent in America put their kids in courses like this.
Ted McDonald
Ames, IA
It's a shame how often children are abducted, abused, and neglected. Most of the time, it is by people they know. My husband and I tell our girls that they need to stand up for themselves even if it means hurting someone's feelings. I don't want them to be rude but I don't want them abducted or hurt either. Predators will get a child sooner or later but I want my children to do the right things and make sure that they aren't the victims we hear about in the news.
I thought police had programs like this? Why don't they do this?
This sounds like it would be pretty scary for the kids depending on how young they are. But it does seem very effective at giving them the skills and experience that may just keep them safe some day.
Great idea! Maybe you can get more places to do training like this.
My son's TaeKwonDo school puts on self-defense classes for kids all the time. They have been recognized by the city as a great asset. You don't need dangerous training for kids to make it effective. The kids learn self-defense through games and having fun. There is no reason to scare a child or put them in harm's way.
JoAnne Schulte
Amherst, Mass.
Every parent has to have abduction prevention on their minds all the time. I think it is neglectful if you send your kids out to play and don't teach them how to handle strangers and abductors.
Kids definitely need more self-defense options against both adults and other kids via bullying.
As to making it fun and such by the lady from Mass., I find that highly irresponsible. If the children don't take it seriously themselves, they won't take it seriously when it actually happens. As to the Taekwondo stuff, most is never taught in a realistic many to be effective.
THe core of this problem is the lack of interest, focus or even fear of training martial arts/self-defense
I mean not that Israel is the best example, but they recognize that everyone should train self-defense. Most Americans seem totally unwilling to recognize it as a skill as essential as cooking, language or reading.
I don't mean turn kids into shaolin monks or ninjas, but real self-defense should be trained with everyone
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