{"id":27501,"date":"2018-09-11T07:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T12:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/?p=27501"},"modified":"2018-09-16T13:04:51","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T18:04:51","slug":"your-childs-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/your-childs-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Too Much or Not Enough: Where Is the Line When It Comes to Your Child\u2019s Safety?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"parent,<\/p>\n

Our main job as parents is to keep our kids safe and ensure they grow up to be contributing members to society. But there are often a few bumps along the way when we\u2019re trying to find the balance between allowing them to spread their wings and still keeping tabs on them.<\/p>\n

The Role of Trust<\/h3>\n

Aside from giving kids more freedom at age-appropriate intervals, the role of trust in the\u00a0parent-child relationship<\/a>\u00a0is the biggest key to becoming aware of any warning signs of danger in their life. If your child trusts you enough to tell you anything that seems odd or scares them, you\u2019ll have a better opportunity to advise them and see dangerous situations\u00a0that need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

On the same note, if you trust your child to tell you what\u2019s going on in their life, you\u2019ll rest easier knowing who they\u2019re interacting with outside of home and what they\u2019re really doing when they\u2019re not with you.<\/p>\n

Make Sure You\u2019re Both Aware of Dangers<\/h3>\n

Having a heart-to-heart with your kids about the dangers around them, or potential dangers, will help them to understand why you\u2019re so concerned and involved in what they\u2019re doing. If they can see why you\u2019re hammering them with questions about who, what, when and where, it will feel less like nagging and more like what it is \u2013 genuine concern for their safety.<\/p>\n

Explain to your kids about the dangers of leaving you in a public place,\u00a0going somewhere with strangers<\/a>, being aware of their surroundings, and even interacting with new people online (if they\u2019ve reached that age bracket).<\/p>\n

Balancing Freedom and Control<\/h3>\n

As your child gets older, you\u2019ll need to learn to let go little by little so they have the opportunity to develop into well-rounded adults. At the same time, you\u2019ll need to\u00a0establish boundaries\u00a0<\/a>and maintain at least some control over where they\u2019re going and who they\u2019re spending time with. This balance should gradually gear more toward freedom and less control the older they get, and reining in their freedoms in the event of your child violating your trust or other bad behavior\u00a0is an ideal punishment for older kids.<\/p>\n

There is no right age for any privilege that your child may be asking for \u2013 everything from play dates to getting their own cell phone should be granted on a case-by-case basis, depending upon your own child\u2019s level\u00a0of maturity and responsibility.<\/p>\n

Safety in Real and Virtual Space<\/h3>\n

The subject of safety spans a wide variety of subjects, from\u00a0road safety for parents<\/a>\u00a0when their\u00a0children are in car seats to preventing\u00a0child abduction\u00a0<\/a>and communicating with strangers online. Explain to your kids why you want them near you at all\u00a0times in public, and tell them why they shouldn\u2019t go somewhere with a stranger. If they understand the risk of being abducted or taken advantage of is real, they will likely be more apt to obey and follow your rules.<\/p>\n

These explanations should be age-appropriate, of course \u2013 such as explaining to your toddler why she can\u2019t remove her harness belt while she\u2019s in the car. Make sure your children know what type of physical contact from another person is acceptable and what is not, and that they should tell you immediately if something happens that they aren\u2019t comfortable with.<\/p>\n

When your children are old enough to have access to the Internet and social media, it\u2019s vital to have\u00a0conversations about protecting their identity<\/a>\u00a0and only conversing online with people they know in real life. Monitoring their activity and the apps or gadgets they are using to connect with other people on a regular basis will also give you peace of mind about what they\u2019re using it for. And don\u2019t be afraid to limit Internet use or eliminate it completely if they aren\u2019t giving you access or following your online rules.<\/p>\n

Keeping your kids safe is an ever-changing balancing act between controlling their every move and trying to educate them on the dangers they may face in the real and virtual world. You\u2019ll have to consider each child individually and make sure their level of freedom is cohesive to their maturity level and age, as well as your personal comfort level.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"Emily Andrews<\/strong> is the marketing communications specialist at\u202fRecordsFinder<\/a>, an online public records search company. Communications specialist by day and community volunteer at night, she believes in compassion and defending the defenseless.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Like what you read? Also check out our latest\u00a0FREE online classes<\/a>,\u00a0parenting advice<\/a>,\u00a0jobs for moms<\/a>,\u00a0events<\/a>,\u00a0childcare listings<\/a>,\u00a0casting calls<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0raffles,<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0Parents With Nannies Facebook group<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our main job as parents is to keep our kids safe and ensure they grow up to be contributing members to society. But there are often a few bumps along the way when we\u2019re trying to find the balance between allowing them to spread their wings and still keeping tabs on them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3967,"featured_media":27502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"schneps_byline":"","schneps_post_style":"","schneps_post_source":"","schneps_syndicated_read_more":"","schneps_post_source_sitename":"","schneps_post_source_shortname":"","schneps_post_source_url":"","schneps_post_source_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,41,51,42,17],"tags":[49,50,74,76],"class_list":["post-27501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moms","category-big-kid","category-dads","category-preschool","category-toddler","tag-development","tag-relationships","tag-safety","tag-support"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/your-childs-safety\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Too Much or Not Enough: Where Is the Line When It Comes to Your Child\u2019s Safety?","url":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/your-childs-safety\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/your-childs-safety\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/90657475_s-e1536538668251.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/90657475_s-e1536538668251.jpg"},"articleSection":"Moms","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emily Andrews"}],"creator":["Emily Andrews"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mommybites New York","logo":""},"keywords":["development","relationships","safety","support"],"dateCreated":"2018-09-11T12:00:41Z","datePublished":"2018-09-11T12:00:41Z","dateModified":"2018-09-16T18:04:51Z"},"rendered":"