Stranger Danger

While it is valuable to understand and review, with our children, the lures and statistics that people use to abduct children, the key element here is that school-aged children (especially those between the ages of 5 and 11) may not have developed the conceptual reasoning to understand that a person who is acting nice, may still be a mean person.  To try to overcome this, monitor your childrens' activities and friends while also talking with them and role-playing with them the acts of running and screaming if they are approached by even a nice stranger.  "No adult stranger should ever approach you!"

DeBecker, Gavin.  (1997)  The Gift of Fear.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - https://www.missingkids.org/HOME