9 Reddit Users Share Important Things That Will Keep a Child Safe

One of the most important duties as a parent is keeping your child safe from a variety of situations. It’s very important to properly teach them how to act in certain cases as they grow into young adults. Some Reddit users provided advice online that may help parents make sure their child is secure.

We at Bright Side know how crucial it is to ensure your child’s safety, so we want to offer up a list of advice that some people have shared online.

1. Don’t let your kids display personal data online.

• Don’t display your personal data on the internet. A lot of teenagers display their age, gender, sexuality, location, disabilities, name, etc. online in an effort to display the communities they’re a part of. But not everyone on the internet has good intentions, and certain people can do some really bad things to you with this type of information. If anyone on the internet makes you feel bad for not feeling comfortable with disclosing very personal information, they probably didn’t have your best interests at heart anyway. peachandpeony / reddit

2. Give them a specific list of people they can trust.

• Instead of “don’t talk to strangers” give a strict list of trusted adults. Linorelai / reddit

3. Kids shouldn’t be forced to have physical contact with adults.

• You shouldn’t force children to have physical contact with adults that make them feel uncomfortable, it only teaches them to not listen to their internal alarm when adults touch them in ways they don’t like or want. If they are taught they have to have physical contact with adults even if they don’t want to, if they experience abuse from someone they won’t feel they have the power to say no. You can still expect children to show respect by giving a proper verbal greeting to someone, greetings and goodbyes don’t need to be physical. 1questions / reddit

• I had a grandpa that I was afraid to hug because every time he did he would hold me and tickle me until I couldn’t breathe, no matter how many times I said stop. But of course, I was never allowed to say no to a hug because he was my grandfather. Because of that, I hated hugs for a loooong time. Like until college. dragongrrrrrl / reddit

4. Teach them the difference between secrets and surprises.

• Even better, teach them the difference between secrets (bad) and surprises (good). When they get older they can learn nuance, but in the meantime, it’s a great way to differentiate the 2. Zerly / reddit

• Because of this thread, I’ve just had a conversation with my 2 girls and told them they can talk to me and their dad about anything. If someone tells them to keep a secret from us, then it’s probably not a good secret, but if they don’t feel like they can talk to us, then it’s important for them to know they can talk to their school support worker. I’ve said they can talk to her about anything, no matter whether it makes them sad, happy, or worried. We have a really good relationship with the school support worker. She keeps us up to date with what the kids are like at school and is so supportive. Mysteryhedgewitch / reddit

5. Let your kid use you as an excuse to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

• I used to text my mom, “I’m about to call you to ask if I can [go to Jim’s party]. I don’t want to go, so please tell me I can’t.” Then I’d call and ask, and she’d say, “absolutely not, you got to go to X yesterday in exchange for doing chores today. I’m coming to get you now.” And I’d pull the “MOM PUHLEASE” to save face and act like she was super lame. _treestars / reddit

6. Teach your child that strangers don’t need help from them.

• An adult doesn’t need help from a child to find their dog. They don’t need help testing anything from a child, or doing an experiment, or asking a child about a survey — not without that child’s parent(s) involved. Honestly, it’s a great opportunity to teach a kid to say back, “That’s not my job.” zestytwirls / reddit

7. Explain why it’s not ok to do something.

• More of a technique than a single teaching, but I always, always, always explain why it’s not okay to do/touch something rather than just saying, “No, don’t touch that.” Like, don’t touch the handle in the bath because the hot water could hurt you. Or don’t go down the stairs without mom because I can’t catch you if I’m not there. sasspancakes / reddit

• Yes, this. I even go so far as to hold their hand over the stove, so they can feel the heat for themselves (Not to burn them, of course! Just so they can feel the radiant heat in the air above the stove). And when I got some new (insanely sharp) tools for one of my hobbies, I had them gently touch the end, so they could feel how sharp it was for themselves. That way, when I say, “Don’t touch,” they understand why. They don’t just have to remember some random rule, they understand the situation for themselves with their own senses. dromedarian / reddit

8. Teach your kids to listen to their instincts.

• My almost-3-year-old is super outgoing and social, but every now and then she’ll have an attack of shyness and get clingy, and I hate when other adults call that out or tease her about it.
  Those moments are her gut instincts kicking in and saying, “Something doesn’t quite feel right and mama is my safe space,” and I want her to know that it’s okay to trust that feeling. Elle_vetica / reddit

• This is huge! I always told my kids to trust their instincts. They are adults now and have thanked me many times for teaching them this. billmurrayismyhero / reddit

9. Your kid should not be alone with a teacher in a room.

• Elementary school kids (and I also say this to my teens) — under no circumstances, should you be alone with a teacher in a room. If a teacher is asking you to come to a room alone with them, don’t. My husband used to be a teacher, and this is a big no-no. He’s the one who told our kids this when they were little. rudebish / reddit

Do you have any other beneficial advice to offer for parents? Have you ever used any of the above tips before?