January 25, 2008

Again I take a tip from Lou and Lou Safety Patrol on Playhouse Disney!  We need to prepare our children in case they ever get lost!  My mom was recently talking to me about the time that I got lost at the Portland Air Show.  I had completely forgotten about that!  I think what happened is my family stopped to see something, I didn’t notice, and I kept walking.  Pretty soon I realised that I didn’t know anyone nearby!  It’s a very tramatic experience to be lost!  So how can we teach our children so that they don’t get lost?

Never Walk Away – Make sure your child knows that when you are out, especially in a crowded place, they should never walk away from you.  Maddie is notorious for this, and I’d love to hear some tips on how to keep a 2 year old from walking or running in her case, away!

Stay Put – I think this was one of the main problems I had at the air show.  I just kept walking up and down the aisles trying to find my family.  If I had just stayed in one place I may have found them sooner.  Tell them to stay in one spot and especially not to LEAVE the store or location!

Find Help – If you see a uniformed security guard or policeman, that is the best person to tell you are lost to.  Another good person to tell is a Mom.  Find a Mom with a couple of kids and tell them.  Most Mom’s can and would help out.

Know Numbers – If they are too young to remember your cell phone number (who doesn’t have a cell phone nowadays… I mean really!) then write it on something that they will have on them.  Make sure they know it’s there. 

Practice – I’ve said it before practice makes perfect.  Play a game at home where your child gets “lost”.  Your husband can be the policeman and everything.  This way if the situation comes up, they will know exactly what to do!

A great printout of these tips can be found at the Playhouse Disney Website. 

What I’m Buying or Doing this Week To Prepare

• Maddie and I are going to practice being lost