Author | Permission to Use Info

young child outside running to safetyPracticing what to say and do with our bodies helps our minds remember to use these skills in an emergency. In the following success story, teaching and practicing safety lessons just using our free online Kidpower 30-Skills Coaching Guide very likely prevented a tragedy for this family.

“My young daughter was playing happily in our front yard. As I was leaning on our fence, chatting with our neighbor, I suddenly heard my child yell at the top of her voice, “STOP!” As I turned, I saw every parent’s nightmare – a strange man trying to coax my child to come close to his pickup truck. The door was open, engine running, another man at the wheel.

It’s strange how seconds feel like hours in an emergency. How your heart thumps so hard, you forget to breathe. And the distance of a few yards suddenly seems forever from your child. In the midst of my terror, I also felt proud because I could see that my child was doing just what we had practiced with Kidpower!

The powerful sound of a child’s voice yelling, “STOP” also got the attention of all the adults nearby. As my daughter and I ran towards each other, I yelled at the man, who was still trying to approach us. He hesitated, giving us enough time to run into our house. I heard the truck’s tires screech as the men pulled away.

I will forever be grateful to you for preparing me to teach my child how to protect herself and prevent a dangerous situation from getting worse. I am proud to be a Kidpower donor, and I hope everyone will give to this wonderful organization so that many more parents and children can have access to their incredible resources, articles, books, and workshops to take charge of their safety.”

All gifts matched for #GivingTuesday now through Midnight, December 1st! We are asking that you make a generous donation of any size because it will be matched, doubling the value of your donation to Kidpower. Your donation powers our work!

 

Copyright © 2020 - present. All rights reserved.

Published: November 30, 2020   |   Last Updated: November 30, 2020

Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.