Someone I know IRL posted this on a local message board and I wanted to pass it along because it is so extremely important to think about these things:

Hi All,
The term stranger danger has been around since I was a little girl and it was always drilled into my head that this person can be someone you don't know, someone you've never seen before who tries to talk to you, someone who tries to talk to you when your parents are not around, etc. But it was recently brought to my attention by our Pediatrician at Taylor's 4 year old well child appointment just how evolved "stranger danger" has become.

He gave Taylor the following scenario and asked what she would do...

Let's say you are at school and you see someone you don't know for the first time and they wave hi to you. Do you wave back or say hi back?
-- No

Okay, so you go to school the next day and that same person is there again and they wave hi to you. And the next day, you see that person and they wave hi to you and they also say hi to one of your friends at school. And then you see them near the playground later in the afternoon and they say hi to you again and they also say hi to your friends, Mary, Sue, Joe. And you keep seeing them at school for a while and you see your teacher talking to them. And then for a little bit you don't see them.
-- Where did they go?

Oh they just haven't been around. But then the following day they come back and they smile and say hi to all the kids again and they wave to you and then come up to you and tell you, that your "mommy said that you can come with me outside and see my kitty" Do you go?

...And this is where Taylor pondered the situation and thought about it for a little bit and then said "Yes". And the Pediatrician asked why she would go. And she said, "because I've seen him around school and they talked to me and my friends and my teacher."

Then he looked at Taylor and said, "You don't go anywhere with anyone other than mommy or daddy if you do not see their mouths moving and hear them say you have permission to go." And he turned back to Tony and I and said, "This is the new trend in strangers, you must teach the kids that they have to see your mouths moving and hear your voice before they do anything or go anywhere with anyone. Talk to the boys about it as well when you get home."

SCARY!!!!

So as your kids get older, ensure that they also are aware of this type of scenario. Stranger Danger is no longer the random person off the street who comes one day and tries to snatch a kid away. It's now someone who cases places and looks friendly and is familiar to the the kids who are the predators.

[~*Bethy*~]

I know I need to start the kids on this but its like where do you start? It is very scary :-(

[♥Ashley♥]

OMG! That is very scary! I dont even want to think the time in my life where my child/children will start being away from me (school or whatnot) and the possibility of these kinds of things. Oh my...

[Trannyfromtheuk]

Yikes Its so scary to think what the world that we are living in has become.

[alicenwonderland]

GAHHH!! Can baby stay in my womb please?

[szczepanski]

wait why dont the teachers notice the stranger talking to the kids, let alone hanging out watching the kids at recess.....or even talking to the stranger themselves??? nak

[ANGWife]

Originally Posted by szczepanski

wait why dont the teachers notice the stranger talking to the kids, let alone hanging out watching the kids at recess.....or even talking to the stranger themselves??? nak

I thought this too, but I guess when she "sees" the man talking to the teacher, it's the teacher asking the man to leave or threaten to call the police. That's why he doesn't come around much for awhile?

well I think the point of painting the scenario like he did was to teach the child that just because you see someone often, you see them talking to your teacher, or you have seen them talking to people you know, this does NOT mean you should EVER go with them anywhere, even if they tell you mom or dad told them it was ok. It is important to be as specific as possible with children. By telling your child scenarios above it will help them to remember to follow specific rules such as never go anywhere with anyone unless you SEE mommy or daddy tell you it is ok, rather then relying on their own judgment. Pedophiles and abductors do find ways to exploit the ways in which kids trust. Meaning, if they see a particular person talking to others they trust such as their teacher, friends or heck even their mom or dad, a kid is likely to trust that person as well. The whole idea is to teach kids not to go anywhere with anyone without explicit permission from mom or dad.

[Chelnae6]

thats crazy!!! this world is full of weirdos

[Alison81]

I'm gonna have to ask this to Elsa, and see what she says. She scares me because she trusts EVERYONE. She is overly friendly, especially with adults. I hate to do it, but I tell her never to talk to kids parents, and that if she wants to talk to a child's parent, she needs to get me first. So far she is really good about that, and will come get me before she talks to any parent now.

Another scary thing. The other day my sister and I went to the park with Elsa and Kylie, and we also brought our dogs. We were standing outside of the park, behind a bathroom, and a little girl wandered completely out of the park, behind the bathrooms, to see the dogs. She couldn't have been more than 4 or 5, and her mother had NO clue, but she came to see the dogs. She also did not speak english at all, she was only spanish speaking, and didn't understand us. I told my sister how scary that was because what happens if we were predators, we could have easily taken her, we were RIGHT next to a parking spot where a car could have been parked. This is why I position myself at the park exit, and try to never take my eyes off Elsa.

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

Scary!!!

[LisanAndy]

That's SOO scary!

[Mars]

Michelle, this is a very good post.

My sister went through something similar when she was in Halifax with my nephew.

I can't remember if it was with the pediatrician or at the day care but this was the scenario.

Question: Someone comes to the door and says, let me in, do you let them in?
Response: No. I get mommy or daddy.

Question: Someone comes to the door and says, "This is the police, let me in!" Do you let them in?
Response: Hesitation. I think he eventually said no but the fact that he hesitated meant he was unsure what to do and if coaxed would probably open the door because we usually teach our kids that the policemen are the good guys.

The person (pedi/daycare persons) went on to say that often we teach our kids about strangers and we paint a picture that strangers are scary, kinda like monsters so when they see anyone who looks scary or mean, they back away but when approached by someone who looks pleasant and are friendly, children have a hard time deciding what to do and can be led off.

[amazing_love]

That's so scary to think about!!