Tips to keep your child safe

1. Never assume that your child will not be abducted, abused or exploited.
2. Do not let your child wear clothing with their name on it.
3. Have your child fingerprinted.
4. Always maintain a current photograph of your child, including current weight and height.
5. Make a video of your child.
6. Obtain a passport for your child.  Once obtained it is hard for someone else to obtain one.
7. Be involved in your childs activities.
8. Know who your child's friends are, their parents, address and phone numbers.
9. Know the routes your child takes to and from school, friends homes and other activities.
10. Never leave your child unattended.
11. Teach your child how to use 911 and 0.
12. Make sure your child knows their full names and yours, phone number and area code, address including city and state.
13. If you are seperated or divorced let your child's administrator's know about visitation rights.  Make sure they know if your ex is allowed to pick up the child.
14. Really listen to anything and everything your child tells you.
15. Your child should know that a stranger is any adult they don't know well.  Even someone they see every day, like a neighbor or bus driver, can be a stranger.  This doesn't mean strangers are bad.  It just means a child shouldn't be left alone with them.
16. Discuss scenarios with your child.  Teach them what to do if they get lost.
17. Abductors use many lures to attract children: They may ask for help, like asking for direction or help finding a lost pet.  Chilren want to help, but teach your child that adults should ask other adults for help.  They shouldn't ask children.  If a stranger asks for help, tell them no and stay away from them.  They may offer gifts, such as candy, money, jobs, or lure them with a pet or toy.  Teach your child to never accept gifts from strangers.
18. Strangers may pretend to be an authority figure, such as a police officer.  Uniforms are easy to get.  If a person in an uniform approaches your child, teach them to get another adult.
19. Strangers may create an emergency by saying something like; "Your parents are hurt, I'm supposed to take you to the hospital."  Tell your child this would never happen.
20. Teach children to walk and play together and to watch out for each other.  This is called the "buddy system."
21. Teach your child no one has the right to touch them or make them feel uncomfortable.  Explain to a young child that the parts of the body their bathing suit covers is their "private parts" and no one has the right to touch them there.
22. Teach them if any of these situations occur, they should tell you.
23. Assure your child that if they are ever lost or abducted, you will always love them and will look for them until you find them, no matter what.  This is critical because most abductors tell children that their parents don't want them anymore.  If they believe this, they don't have anywhere else to go.
24. Children must know that you want them to come home.

A good site for children teaching them safety tips using music and videos of a yellow dino. is found at:

                            http://yellodyno.com

Please visit http://communities.msn.com/missingkids