Archives for March 2010
Stranger Danger, Time To Teach The Children
At dinner on Saturday night I was privy to a lovely conversation about stranger danger and the women I was speaking with were adamant about teaching their kids the basics about strangers without scaring them, as soon as they start school.
Confession: Maile is in Kindergarten and we have spoken minimally about strangers.
I don’t want to scare her.
And she’s so innocent! I don’t want her thinking about bad people. I remember losing sleep thinking about those things and I never want her to imagine anything bad happening to her EVER.
Tiffany was saying that she would nonchalantly give her son hypothetical situations that would get him *thinking* about how he should or should not react when approached by someone he doesn’t know. Her husband worked for LAPD and she said one of the number one things a stranger will say to your child to force them to cooperate is that they will hurt the child’s parents. Tiffany’s son knows that this is a lie and that he must NEVER believe anyone who says this to him. He knows that the person saying this is only trying to keep him quiet. She said she never uses any scare tactics, but she wants to create scenarios that will prepare his mind so that IF it ever happens, he’ll remember the plan of action.
Seven hours.
Maile is out of my home. My control. My power. For seven hours everyday.
I decided Sunday was as good a day as any to start our Stranger Danger lessons and approached the girls on the matter during lunch time.
me: Maile. What would you do if someone you didn’t know came to get you at school and told you I sent them?
Maile: (meekly). Ummmmm….not go??
me: RIGHT! Don’t ever ever ever go! I will NEVER send someone to school to pick you up that you have never met before okay?
Maile: Okaaay.
me: And if a stranger ever takes you away I need you to scream STRANGER!!!! as loud as you can. Everyone needs to hear you need help.
Maile: (nervous smile.) Okaaaay.
Laina: And Mom I will kick him in da back and in da face and beat him up!
me: Sure Laina. I’m sure you will. That’s right, you fight and bite and beat him up….Laina, what would you do if someone stopped you at the park and told you they have cute little puppies in their car and asked you if you want to go see them?
Laina: Go look at da puppies.
me: NO! Don’t EVER go to someone’s car. If they have puppies they can bring them to you okay? Don’t ever ever ever follow someone you don’t know to their car okay!?!
Laina: Kay, but mom?
me: What Laina?
Laina: God will take care of me.
me: Ummm….yes Laina that’s true….but we should always be safe and take care of ourselves so that we don’t have to ask God to help us.
Laina: God will not let da stranger get me mom.
me: Ummm…yes in theory this sounds lovely Laina, but sometimes bad things can still happen to us.
Laina: Mom God is everywhere.
me: Who in the hell have you been talking to???
Okay I didn’t say that, but I was thinking it!
me: Yes. God is everywhere, but Laina just don’t go to a stranger’s car okay?
Looks like I have my work cut out for me.
Time to turn these sissies into confident, loud, stranger danger attack dogs.
That’s right I said it….Ain’t NO ONE gonna mess with my girls when I’m done here.
Crash
Labra-Ca-Doodle!
I have a problem. I don’t know why I do this. My life is full. I have three kids. I run a daycare. We have two cats and mice….and yet I’m always wanting to add.
It’s not a new thing, I’ve been this way since forever, but my family and friends are starting to think something is wrong with me. Some of them have even asked me what I think might be missing in my life that might cause me to constantly be thinking of new ways to fill it up.
To them I say yes. There is something missing.
A LABRADOODLE!
I know what you’re thinking, a dog is big responsibility, it’s expensive, it chews stuff, they could bite…but the girls really want a forever dog. It’s all Laina talks about. We’ve fostered four dogs and when I talk about getting one now Maile looks hopeful, “forever mom?? We can have one that will be ours forever?”
So I must provide.
It has nothing to do with my insatiable desire to have a snuggly best friend to take care of.
Ahem.
No. This is all about the girls.
So I started looking into it. Reading about all the different breeds….maybe starting with a puppy is exactly what we need. But adopting a dog is serious stuff because I have no one to give it back to if it lashes out. Fostering dogs is so temporary and not knowing where those dogs are coming from and what kind of history they have is unsettling. A puppy would mean we could have a hand in training it and getting it acclimated to a life with kids.
For a second I thought we’d do a Schoodle. It’s a Shnauzer/Poodle mix and they’re supposed to be smart and family oriented and all that good stuff. But then twitter people told me Shnauzers are barkers and can get nippy and I started second guessing myself. I can’t have a nippy dog. I just can’t.
I want a non shedding dog that’s not too big so I kind of ruled out the lab/retriever breeds even though I know they’re great family dogs. But then I ran into a lady at the beach with a labradoodle and it wasn’t that big. It was a medium sized non shedding furball and oh. so. cute.
Oh my GOODNESS you guys, they are adorable!!
I’ve been researching labradoodles and goldendoodles for a good portion of whatever free time I’ve had lately. They’re perfect I tell you and the really great breeders ensure they only breed the best tempered dogs to create mini versions of the best animals on the planet. Kid friendly, trainable, smart, non shedding, hypoallergenic, loving, loyal….the list goes on.
I must have one.
So ummm…..who’s gonna loan me the uh *cough* twenty five HUNDRED dollars I’ll need to adopt one of those cuties!?!!
Anyone??
Anyone??
(photos courtesy of How Long It Takes)