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STOP Predators COLD!

How To Protect YOUR


Children From Sexual
Predators

Preston Jones and Joyce Jackson


Keeping Kids Safe
Copyright 2007

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

The author and publisher, Keeping Kids Safe, have made every effort to produce
a high quality, informative and helpful book. However, they make no
representation of warranties of any kind with regard to completeness or accuracy
of the contents of this book. They accept no liability of any kind for any losses or
damages caused or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, from using the
information contained in this book.
All product names and/or logos are copyrights of their respective owners.
The Keeping Kids Safe How To Protect Your Child From Sexual Predators is
Copyright 2007 Keeping Kids Safe. All rights reserved worldwide.
First Edition 2007
No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or
reproduced in any way, including but not limited to digital copying and printing
with out the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher.
Keeping Kids Safe
903 Monet Circle
Walnut Creek, CA 94597

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What Readers Say About This Book


Introduction
Stop Sexual Predators Cold!
How This Book Can Help You
Chapter 1. The Magic Formula For Keeping Kids Safe
Owning The Power To Keep Your Child Safe
The Word That Work MiraclesThe Power Of Clarity5 Secrets
Of Safe KidsI Will Always Do My BestSuper Kids And
Super HeroesThe Hidden Powers of A Child
Chapter 2. Parenting Secrets For Safe Kids
Parenting Skills For The 21st Century
The Key To Parenting SuccessThe Amazing Skill That Works
MiraclesSecrets To Deciphering The Silence Catch Them
Being Good The Nucleus Of Safety
Chapter 3. The Growing Cancer Of Sexual Predators
Predators That Prowl Our Neighborhoods
Discovering How Predators Prowl For KidsTodays Dangerous
WorldThe Enormity Of The ProblemBasic Fears To FaceIt
Could Happen To YouDangers Of False IdeasExtreme
Predators

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Chapter 4. The Hidden Powers of A Child


The Immutable Laws Of Safety
The Ultimate Safety Secret Improve This And Your Child Will
Be Safer Defining Ultimate Safety The Philosophy Of
Safety Setting The Example
Chapter 5. Mastering Your Childs Safety
The Magic In Simplicity
Where Real Safety BeginsChanging Your Destiny For Your
ChildThe Proven Success Formula For Safe KidsSerious Fun
For Safer Kids
Chapter 6. Online Predators
The 10 Secrets To Stopping Online Predators Cold!
The Sly Disguises Of Online Sexual PredatorsThe Warning
Signs You Must Know That Your Child Is In Danger From An
Online PredatorThe Dangers Of Social Networks And
BlogsThe 10 Secrets For Internet Safety Today
Chapter 7. Offline Or Direct Contact Sexual Predators
Threats In Our Very Neighborhoods
Five Proven Safety Secrets For Playing OutsideExtra Security In
Neighborhood Safety Clubs
Chapter 8. Total Safety
The Amazing Secrets To Keeping Kids Safe
The Power Of FocusThe Secret To A Better
FamilyPenetrating Laser EyesSuper Hero Power
VoiceSuper Hero Belly BrainsThe Best Circle Of Safety
Chapter 9. Putting It All Together
Putting It All Together
More Secrets To Keeping Your Kids Safe9 Easy Getaways

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Chapter 10. About The Authors


The Riches Of A Single Thought
Chapter 11. More Books From Keeping Kids Safe

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

______________________________________________

WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THIS


BOOK
______________________________________________

"After just 5 seconds browsing the Table of Contents I KNEW I


needed to get this book for my sister to use with my niece and
nephew. This book is full of so many priceless gems I predict it will
not only be a HUGE best-seller, but will also save thousands of
children from sexual predators." - Jason Oman, #1 International
Best-Selling Author of 'Conversations with Millionaires'
www.JasonOman.com" Jason Oman (Atlanta, GA)

"Preston Jones and Joyce Jackson are on a mission. They have a


passion for keeping YOUR children safe from predators.
Joyce taught my grandchildren some simple safety tips. Just a few
days later, my 8 year old grandson was approached in a public
playground at an amusement park. It was a teen age kid who asked
if he wanted to earn some extra money. The "Belly Brain" that
Joyce taught him kicked in. He knew exactly what to do, and he
walked away from what could have been a very dangerous
situation. Joyce, I can't thank you enough.
If you have a child, grandchild, niece or nephew, (or you know
someone who does) you NEED this book.
- Frank Sousa
www.coolwebtips.com
www.trafficgeyser.com
Author, Software Developer and most of all... a grandparent."

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

One idea alone from Preston Jones and Joyce Jacksons 'How To
Protect Your Child From Sexual Predators' can make a difference
in the world!
Here's Why...
Their Safe. ideas are bar-none, no questions asked absolutely, the
best-of-the-best ideas for keeping kids safe!
*Do Not* take this lightly Their ideas are a *Life Saving*.
- John Di Lemme
Strategic Business Coach
International Motivational Speaker
www.FindYourWhy.com
(Alexa Ranking in the teens)

Parents
I feel like I can finally do something to protect my children. I am
not powerless against predators any more!
Sandra Jones Walnut Creek, CA
This book is really good! The tips are things I can do immediately
and see results in my kids. I feel that my kids can really be safer
today.
Robert Davila Walnut Creek, CA

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

____________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
______________________________________________

STOP Sexual Predators COLD!


Were going to show you how to protect you child from sexual
predators. Our approach to child safety along with our effective
techniques will enable you to STOP Sexual Predators COLD!
We believe every child deserves the right to grow up safe. Every
child deserves this right by birth. They deserve it no matter where
they live, who they are or what their background or circumstances
dictate.
We believe this right so strongly that we have dedicated most of
our lives and business to making sure this can be a reality for all
kids.
Children are to be nurtured and offered the right to be the best they
can be as human beings. As a collective group, they are our future.
They are the future of the human race. All of us have a stake in
making sure children are safe and secure and grow up to reach
their full potential as human beings.
Sexual predators, in fact, any people that use and abuse children in
anyway, are vermin that must be stopped. Abuse ruins lives.
Abuse tears apart families. Abuse devastates the child victim and
their self image.
Adults who were victims of sexual predators as children can spend
a lifetime healing from the damage forced upon them. Sexual

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predators negatively affect the course of peoples lives and it is


wrong and especially unfair to innocent children. There is also no
such thing as an isolated abuse of a child incident. Abuse does
not happen and then magically stop and go away. Abuse takes
time and effort to heal and it is the victim and their families that
suffer.
We are leveling the playing field, so to speak. We are out to help
kids and parents stop the criminals. We also go one step further
and teach kids to keep themselves safe. We show kids and their
families how to thwart sexual predators cold in their tracks. Well
help you stay in front of the problem.
And, the problem cannot be overstated. According to a study
released in 2002 by the National Incidence Studies of Missing,
Abducted, Runaway, and Thrown-away Children (NISMART II),
an estimated 6 children per hour are abducted by a non-family
member. In approximately 50% of these cases, the children are
sexually assaulted. By the time children are 18, the surveys
indicate that as many as one in eight boys and one in five girls will
have been sexually abused.
This makes every child a potential target for sexual predators. This
could make your child an unwitting target, too. Dont let that
happen!
Every parent today has to worry about keeping their child safe
from sexual predators. This is where we help. This is where we
will arm you with the tips, information, techniques and the knowhow behind them, to keep your child safer today than yesterday.
We will show you how to teach your child to keep themselves safe
from sexual predators, too.
Sexual predators are on our streets, in our neighborhoods and at
our schools. Not only are they there, they are an ever growing
danger on the Internet.

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Be prepared and take charge of you childs safety. Threats are


everywhere in todays dangerous world. They all must be stopped.
Our kids must be safe. You can do it with this book.
We established and developed Keeping Kids Safe for this very
reason. Our purpose is to keep kids safe by teaching them to KEEP
THEMSELVES SAFE. By teaching the kids to keep themselves
safe we add an extra layer of safety and protection to every child.
Any child is safe when Mom and Dad are around. Kids come to
rely on Mom and Dad to do just that. But toddlers go to preschool
and preschoolers go to elementary school and elementary school
kids go to middle school and middle school kids hang out at malls
among other places. Kids will be out and about on their own as
much as if not more, without their parents.
The point here is, there are plenty of opportunities for predators to
assault your child when you are not around. So we at Keeping Kids
Safe are going to help. Were going to help by reinforcing many of
the things parents do well at home. We may even teach you a little
bit you didnt know, too.
Who wouldnt want to sleep just a little better at night knowing
their child is just a little safer? We are here to keep kids safe, all
kids. Sometimes, we even help make better families in the
process.
Our unique approach to child safety folds the entire family into the
safety process. We work with the kids, then fold in the parents and
when we have their attention, we can teach both of them some very
effective safety techniques. We wouldnt have it any other way.
It is fun and exciting for the children in our classes and even fun
for the parents that bring them. We teach a subject as serious as
personal safety in a fun and fun-filled manner. The bottom line is,
our ideas and techniques have to be reinforced at home which

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means families need to embrace our ideas to be the safest they can
be.
Another reason our approach is so effective is that at Keeping Kids
Safe, we focus on staying one step in front of the predators. We
focus on solutions for safe kids and preventing situations that could
cause kids to be pulled in, surprised, trapped and abducted.
The solution starts with us and takes hold with you, the parents.
We will continue our work because of our vision of all children
owning the right to grow up safe. It continues to propel us forward
to offer our child safety program to wider and wider audiences.
We never assume to leave a childs safety in todays dangerous
world to chance. Never assume an assault on you child could
never happen to you.
Take charge and control of your childs safety right now! Make
sure your kids know you are in charge of it, too. While most kids
reactions are negative to more parental control, they
subconsciously need guidance from you. They need to know their
safety matters to you, so tell them and show them it does.
Its all about the kids. We are all here for the kids and their right
to grow up safe in todays world.
This book provides our effective tips and techniques for preventing
sexual predators from abusing any more kids. For the criminal on
the street or online, were putting them on notice that they are out
of business.

How This Book Can Help You


This book provides our effective tips and techniques for preventing

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sexual predators from abusing any more kids, your kids. For the
criminal on the street or online, were putting them on notice that
they are out of business.
Flip through the book and pick a chapter that appeals to you. Read
it. Then find another.
The book is intended to be used as a reference guide for you
whenever you need it. Each chapter is written to stand on its own.
Read a section that appeals to you, apply its information and come
back for more information later.
Its all about your kids. Its all about keeping them safe for their
entire lifetime.

www.ProtectYourChildToday.com

13

1
______________________________________________

THE MAGIC FORMULA FOR KEEPING


KIDS SAFE
______________________________________________

Owning The Power


To Keep Your Child Safe
Parents! Your childs safety from sexual predators depends on
you!
Not a bad opening for a book on child safety. Now that we have
your attention, it is true. We teach kids to keep themselves safe.
We also teach kids to be responsible for themselves, too. The most
important thing, however, the crucial piece, in making it work, are
you, the parents, taking the responsibility for insuring it is all put
into place.
You must own the responsibility for keeping your child safe. You
must make sure they learn how to keep themselves safe from
sexual predators when you are not around.
Anytime you go out and about with your child they are pretty safe
with you. You hold their hands, talk to them and make sure your
family group stays together as you scour the mall, trot through the
zoo or head to your table at the restaurant.
What happens when your child is playing in the yard when youre
inside, at school, walking the dog or walking home from the store,
is what really matters. Your child must have the ability to keep

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themselves safe in todays world prowled by sexual predators,


when you are not around. And, Mom and Dad, it is your
responsibility to make sure they have this keep themselves safe
ability.
Easily said by glib safety experts, but what does this really mean?
More importantly, how do you do this from a simple little book?
To be honest, it is pretty simple. It means you must stand up and
grab hold of an incredible power waiting for you to command and
control. It is called the Power To Keep Your Child Safe.
Sometimes we call it mentoring.
Mentoring your child goes beyond parenting. It gets into making a
positive difference by influencing your child to be the best they
can be as a person. Mentoring means you maximize your
commitment. It means doing what needs to be done. It means when
youre tired, sick or fed up you still take the time and patience to
insure your child is safe for their entire lifetime. Being responsible
means teaching your child to be safe in a constant and consistent
series of small steps everyday.
Is it easy to do? That depends on you. What is your commitment
to your child? What is your commitment to your childs safety?
If you answered resoundingly, 100%! then it will be easy for
you. Youre reading this book because you are already a mentor to
your child. Your childs safety for an entire lifetime can be simple
and easy with a few tips to added to the mentoring skills you
already possess.
If you have not gone beyond basic parenting then well help you
make the jump into true mentoring. It is one thing to understand
responsibility. It is another to own it. Owning it is harnessing its
power. Simply put, you own your childs safety. You make it
work. Show and guide your child every step of the way in what to

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do and how to do it. Own the responsibility in making sure they


understand it and learn it. Help them learn for a lifetime how to
keep themselves safe from sexual predators when you are not
around.

The Word That Work Miracles


Commitment is a word that, as an adult, you no doubt have seen
and heard throughout your lifetime. It is over-used, we hear it too
much and can easily tune it out.
Be careful!
Commitment is a very powerful word that can work miracles. It
is only overused by those that chose to ignore it. You should pay
attention to this word and its meaning, especially when it comes to
your childs safety.
If you worry about sexual predators, now is the time to pay
attention to this word Commitment with new interest and
resolve.
Few things are as powerful to you as commitment. Commitment
can miraculously turn ordinary, sometimes less than ordinary,
individuals into leaders, dream achievers and successful human
beings.
You must commit to your childs safety. We have to ask:
As a parent, are you truly committed to your childs safety?
Of course, everyone reading this book will say, Yes! But there
is a follow up question, and that is:

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How much time will you spend each day doing the techniques
and exercises we have in this book, with your child?
Your answer to this question is a measure of your commitment.
Time is a precious commodity for anyone, especially a parent, in
todays fast-paced world. Time, however, is required for
commitment. There is no way around it.
The Keeping Kids Safe techniques and suggestions we provide
take 5 to 10 minutes each day. Thats all. Are you committed to
that? How important is your childs safety from sexual predators?
It is actually easier than that. If you understand what we are saying,
if you embrace our philosophy of child safety, then the techniques
are integrated into what you are already doing as a committed
parent, not adding any more time a day to your already crazy
schedule.
In the worst case, if the Keeping Kids Safe Safety techniques
added 30 or 60 minutes a day to your busy schedule, would your
commitment still be there? Again, what price is your childs safety
from sexual predators?
We are just making a point, here. We have intentionally made he
information in the book readily available to you and easy to follow
and use, in minutes a day. You just need to commit to use it.
We hope your commitment is a resounding Yes! to your childs
safety. Our methods do not require hours a day or even 30 minutes
a day. However, the commitment is still required. Required is a
harsh word when preceded by the word commitment. We have
a saying with the kids in our classes, Too Bad, So Sad! and well
use it here. Five minutes a day or fifteen minutes every-other-day
is reasonable for your childs lifelong safety. As a parent, you
must simply be accountable for providing the impetus and

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commitment to achieving true safety for your children. We just


make it simple for you.
Committing to your childs safety needs to be viewed as a sacred
vow. We are challenging you now to read every word of this
book. We are challenging you to follow through on just 10% of
what you read here. Can you do it?
View your commitment as the foundation of a lifetime of safety for
your child. We believe commitment is the foundation to your
childs safety success. Make the foundation strong, make it solid.
With a solid commitment from you, your child will see how
serious you are about their safety. They will then take it more
seriously themselves. Its called leading by example, another
important step in committing to your childs safety.
If you do, you will help your child be safe from sexual predators
and be safer today then they were yesterday.

The Power of Clarity


What will commitment do for you as a parent? What will it do for
your childs safety?
The answer is simple: it will give you the Power of Clarity. It will
give you a targeted purpose to focus on and a goal to head towards.
You can move forward with a laser focused purpose of keeping
your child safe from sexual predators.
Clarity of focus and vision is powerful.
Clarity, power of vision and focus, are very good things to possess
as a parent. It means you filter through the maze of everything

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constantly being thrown at you and zero in on the things that are
truly important for your child, like their safety.
Clarity of your goal for safety will come with making a
commitment to your childs safety program. The importance of
this goes beyond the obvious safety benefits for your child. The
importance of clarity benefits you directly, especially when you
need to maintain your commitment.
We all go through up and downs in life. What distinguishes one
individual from another however, is their commitment to a clear
purpose, a goal. It is called goal setting. Commitment. Clarity.
Goals. They go hand in hand. So does achieving that goal.
Committing to your childs safety is pretty easy. So is getting
started with it. Maintaining it can be a trick. Being human, we all
go through times when our resolve can weaken. Find ways to
strengthen your resolve.
For example, when your commitment to your childs safety
waivers, re-read this book. Read other inspirational books. Talk to
other like-minded parents about their commitment to their
children. Find positive motivation in CDs you can pop into your
radio or your car. The solutions are endless, but keep your
commitment to keeping sexual predators at bay and your child
safe, fresh and real every day.
Also, keep your approach simple. The simpler the better. Clarity
comes with simplicity. Keep your approach to your childs safety
simple and easy for your lifestyle. When you struggle with your
time, when it seems like your kids are endlessly crabby, when it
seems like you just want to give up, the best thing to do to keep
your commitment alive is clear away everything to its simplest
form. Go back to basics. Make everything simple. Refresh
yourself. And, most of all persevere.

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We are here for you. We work with families and parents, too. Safe
kids mean great families with parents committed to a lifetime of
safety.
If you are truly committed to your childs safety, then you are truly
ready to learn and implement real safety techniques starting with
our 5 Secrets Of Safe Kids.

The 5 Secrets Of Safe Kids


There are 5 Secrets we have learned that truly make kids safe.
These Secrets set the foundation of true safety for a lifetime in
children, and can do the same for your child.
These Secrets will also surprise you. They work quietly and
effectively beneath the surface of your childs brain. If you use
these 5 Secrets, they will make any safety technique that much
more effective. Without these 5 Secrets, your child will never be
able to keep themselves safe. Ever.
Secret #1: Confidence
Confidence and a positive self image are crucial in good child
safety. Confident kids are less of a target for sexual predators. Not
only do they stand taller and keep their heads up higher, they
represent a problem, a less than easy victim for sexual predators.
Confident kids project struggle for any predator trolling for kids
and more often than not, predators will pass them by. More often,
predators will choose kids that appear weak and sad, a child in
need of a friend. These are the kids that hang their heads, shuffle
down the street and have a hard time looking anyone in the eye
when they talk to them.
Confidence is a powerful deterrent.

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And yet, there is something more, something deeper when your


child is confident. We notice confident kids display certain
structural changes, physical changes in their bodies that serve them
better than kids that have poor self-images. Confident kids can
control their physical movements a little bit better. At the same
time, they can move more quickly and with finer control of those
movements. We find confident kids can actually focus better
mentally and for longer periods of time.
In other words, these kids are better equipped physically, mentally
and emotionally to learn the actual safety techniques that could
save them from sexual predators than kids that feel bad about
themselves. Kids that hang their head, shuffle around, are tired or
ill, cannot move with as much control or quickness or think as
clearly as kids that are healthy and confident. A high degree of
self confidence and a positive self image matter in good child
safety.
Secret #2: Empowerment
Empowering your child to take care of themselves is one of the
most powerful Safety Secret we can offer you.
When you empower your child, you truly teach them to make
choices for themselves. When you mentor them as a parent you
actually guide them into learning to make good, positive choices
for themselves on their own. When they can do this, they will
truly be safe for a lifetime.
In its simplest form, empowerment means your child feels like
they have a measure of control over their life. They feel they can
make their own decisions. Most kids dont feel this ability. Most
kids do not have it, either. Parents and adults are constantly
making decisions for children:

When to eat

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What to eat
When to get up
When to go to sleep
Where to go
Who to go with
What to do

The list can go on endlessly. Life for a child can feel completely
out of their control. Kids will engage in a struggle with their
parents to get some control of their lives. In doing so it usually
comes across as conflict.

No! I dont want to go!


I dont like that!
Im not eating that!
Stop it!
I dont want to!
Leave me alone!

The Secret to empowering your child, even at the youngest of ages,


is in giving them their own choices to make. Give them
alternatives to situations in their lives, let them make some of their
own choices.
This too, can be pretty simple. For example, instead of serving
them broccoli, ask them to choose between carrots, peas or
broccoli or another vegetable. Give them a choice to make instead
of just putting one on their plate. Instead of the green dress, ask
your daughter which one she would like to wear. Instead of
forcing your child into the brown shoes, ask them which ones they
would like to put on today.
These are pretty simple examples, but this about as easy as it gets
in empowering your child. Giving your child choices is crucial in
their development. It is crucial in their ability to keep themselves

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safe, too.
Making choices matters to kids. When you do this simple, easy
thing, miracles will happen within them. An empowered child
starts to feel good about themselves. And what would consistent,
good feelings about themselves lead to? Confidence!
Will your child always make good choices for themselves? No.
That is where you, Mom and Dad, come into the picture. You, as a
mentor to your child, can guide them through the array of choices
they will face. You can guide them and teach them about good
choices and the benefits of making good choices for themselves. It
is what safe kids are all about.
Secret #3: Catch Them Being Good
When your child makes a bad choice, its important for you to stay
calm about it. Yes, this is easier said then done. However, it is
critical in your childs ability to keep themselves safe, that you
learn to take their mistakes in stride.
We want you to spend more time and energy catching your child
being good.
A subtle prodding towards better choices is more effective than
highlighting, in a big emotional way, any bad choice they make for
themselves. If you have to highlight negative behavior, be very
careful in saying, That was a bad choice, rather than You are
bad. Take care to say, You can make better choices, instead of
saying, How stupid! Things like, Youre a great kid but that
choice could have been better, keeps your childs image of
themselves solid and highlights the choice only, not them, as being
bad. Your child is good, the choice is bad.
Building confidence, building a solid self image in your child,
builds safety. Capitalize on this and highlight the good things they
do more often than the bad things. As a matter of fact, focus on

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highlighting as many good things as you can rather than making a


big deal about the bad things they may do.
We call it, Catch Them Being Good.
We think positive reinforcement is a much stronger teaching tool
and technique for child safety than negative reinforcement. Praise
your child when you see them doing good behaviors. Lavish the
praise and adulation onto them when they do really great things.
This is also positive mentoring. This is channeling your child into
learning how to make good, solid and positive choices for
themselves. It builds and fosters that ever-so-critical confidence in
themselves.
It is easier to notice the bad behavior. We are tuned by society to
notice the negative and bad things people do. It is very easy to
notice the bad things your child does. It is a focus of many parents,
naturally. Reverse the trend and make your focal point the things
your child does well. Positive reinforcement will teach your child
to repeat those behaviors you want and make it easier for you to
guide them into those good choices.
Secret #4: Listening
Another crucial Secret in teaching kids to be safe is to let them
know you are listening to them.
Listening to your child goes beyond the standard, Yep. Un huh.
Sure. These kinds of responses they get daily. True listening, the
kind that allows your child to feel like they are really being heard
and understood, is a special parenting skill.
Listening to your child happens in two ways: one, you allow them
to say what they need to say, in their words, in their way, however
they want to say it. It may be challenging to follow this advice,
especially when your child speaks in disjointed sentences or
jumbled words. They may take 5 or 10 minutes out of your busy

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day, but just let them talk without interrupting them. You can tell
when it is important versus when they are just mumbling or
making noise. Sit and listen to them. Take the time, make the
time.
Two, listen to what they say without judgment. Even if you do not
like what you hear, even if you feel upset by what you hear, listen
to it. Be quiet, look them in the eyes with your full attention and
simply listen to them.
Your child is coming to you. They need your attention. They
believe at that moment you will listen to them. Do it. Reserve
judgment and negative feelings about what they are saying for
another time.
When you do this you are building on the future, on your childs
safety. They need to feel, deep inside, they can tell you about
anything. They need the security of knowing you will listen to
them and what they have to say. If your child is threatened in any
way, they will need to come to you, Mom or Dad, and tell you.
That rapport and comfort for them needs to be established at a
young age. You start by simply listening to them.
Secret #5: Repetition
This last Secret is probably the most important of all. We can
teach your kids in the classroom. We can put all of our information
into a book for you to read. However, it is all useless unless you
use it and apply it, day in and day out at home.
In our classroom we work with kids 45 minutes at a time, once a
week. You may read this book 10 minutes a day until you finish it.
True learning for your child comes with repetition. That is your
job. You need to do it at home.
Repetition does not need to be boring, either. Make games out of
things you want to teach. Use fun words and phrases your child

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uses when talking about safety. Fold in your childs favorite toys,
cartoon characters or things they like into activities you do several
times a week. These are simple yet exciting skills for
reinforcement activities. Its repetition with excitement. What a
great way to learn for any child!
Working with our techniques is also something to do a few times a
week. Stay away from daily practice routines as if this was a sport
as this is the surest way to bore your child and lose their attention.
Make learning safety fun. Make it exciting. Fold in the whole
family and enjoy learning about true safety for a lifetime together.

I Will Always Do My Best


We start our 10 week safety program classes, and every class in the
series, with the Keeping kids Safe 2 Cardinal Rules for the kids:

I Will Always Do My Best!

I Will Always Say I Can!

These Rules are very simple, easy ideas, yet they contain great
depth and effectiveness for your childs safety from sexual
predators. First, weve mentioned that if your child is confident,
they are less of a target for sexual predators. It goes even further
than that. If your child can even create an appearance of being
confident, happy, strong and healthy, when you are not around,
they can be less of target for sexual predators.
So what about the kids that are not so confident? This is where
learning to appear confident can help. We can teach kids to
pretend they are confident. What follows most of the time is that if

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we can teach a child to pretend they are confident and practice this
pretense, they will, over time, actually begin to evolve into a
confident child.
Practicing walking with their head up, practicing feeling good,
practicing being happy, eventually sinks beneath the surface over
time. We actually have a Feel Good game we play in our
classrooms just for this purpose. Practicing feeling good at
home, too, with support from their parents, can really begin to set a
foundation of confidence in most kids, as well.
Therefore, we really use the 2 Cardinal Rules constantly and right
from the start. Confidence in kids is so crucial to their safety that
we use these rules all the time to build and build and build some
more, onto the foundation of safety we want to set in place.
If we can get kids to verbally recite and say these rules, we can
then begin to inject real feeling into how they say them.
Pretending youre a confident kid is one thing but adding feelings
and emotion into it takes this to a whole other level.

Super Kids And Super Heroes


This other level we take it to is about the kids becoming a Super
Hero. Super Heroes are confident and can do anything to a super
degree in a childs mind. More than that, Super Heroes are fun for
kids. They are fantasy creations kids can relate to very easily and
readily. Kids see cartoons with Super Heroes and Super
Characters in them. Those characters can do anything. Kids want
to do the same things and therefore they have a natural attraction to
these characters. We exploit this attraction.
We want kids to believe they can be Super heroes, too.

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Well ask the kids who their favorite characters and Super Heroes
are. We ask them to tell us why they like them and how they can
imitate their favorite Super Hero traits. Whether its Superman,
Luke Skywalker, Arial or Snow White, each one in the end
outsmarts evil. We simply tell kids that their Super Heroes have
special Powers and its OK for them to have and use some of
these Special Powers, too, like confidence.
It works.
We wind in this idea week in and week out. As classes progress
each week we encourage the kids to stand up and tell everyone
what they did during the week to be like their Super Hero. After a
few weeks most kids start to look forward to getting up in front of
the class and telling their story.
At the end of each story we applaud. The applause from the kids
and crowd reinforces our positive, self-image building exercises.
Approbation, acceptance and encouragement enhance our effort in
seeding, growing and building confidence in each child.
When a child relates how they behaved confidently in some way
over their past week, we seal it into their mind with That Was
Super! and Youre Great For Doing That!
These are very carefully chosen words. These words are about
telling each child how great they are. The child is great. We tell
them the things they did were super, but they, themselves, are
great. It is just another building block in the foundation of solid
self confidence we want to install in each child.
There is a series of Super Hero games we play, too, with the kids
that again, fold into learning and building confidence. One is called
the Feel Bad, Feel Good game. First, we talk to the kids about
how their Super Heroes always stand tall, shoulders back, head

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high and look strong. Then we tell them we want them to look like
their Super Hero and want to play a game with them.
In this game we let the kids walk around the room and at the
command of Feel Bad they hang their heads, shuffle around and
moan. We actually ask them to go back to a time when they might
have been sick or sad, and remember what that feels like in their
bodies. In doing so, we can actually begin to see some of the
children sagging in their posture.
Then we ask them to remember a time when they were really,
really happy and excited. Perhaps it was their birthday. Perhaps it
was Christmas Day, opening presents. Whatever it is, we take the
kids there in their minds for a brief few seconds and here, too, we
can see them physically straightening up as they envision their
happy, exciting moments.
The start of the game comes with our gentle reminders of both of
the feelings. At the command of Feel Good! Super Hero! they
stand upright, throw their shoulders back, hold their head high and
smile as they pop around the room. At the command of Feel
Bad! they slow down, slink and shuffle around and hang their
heads.
Through a series of Feel Bad! and Feel Good! Super Hero!
commands we expose them to the way these two states feel and the
bodily sensations that each of them create. We want them to be
able to differentiate between physically feeling good and feeling
bad.
More importantly, when we see they understand the difference, we
can then teach them to pretend they can Feel Good even when
they dont. What we are really doing is getting them to turn
feeling good on whenever they want to do it. They can project
confidence even though they may not feel that way for any number
of reasons.

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We can now get them to Feel Good and appear so meaning


appearing more confident especially when they are outside or
alone. We can get kids to appear better and confident even when
they dont feel that way so they are less of a target for predators.
Kids can learn to fake out predators with these simple games. They
give a child an extra edge of safety whenever they may find
themselves alone without Mom or Dad. Its all about staying one
step ahead of the sexual predators.
We also find that if kids can begin to feel good when they need to
or want to, they tend to like how it feels. They slowly begin to
gravitate more and more to those good feelings we show them. It
means they can really take hold if parents reinforce these ideas at
home.
The games we play merely introduce children to good feelings of
confidence. However, we find that kids want to build on them
once they experience them. Playing games are simply the first step
in an intentional sequence of safety techniques we want the kids to
embrace and learn. It all follows a well thought out plan. It really
comes down to our approach to safety, and it is pretty simple:
teach kids to feel good about themselves, teach parents to reinforce
this at home and teach them both safety techniques.

The Hidden Powers Of A Child


Does it really work? Do kids really respond to someone telling
them You Can! and, Youre Great! and Feel Good!? Do
kids begin to believe in themselves when they constantly repeat I
Will Always Do My Best!?
We think so. Not only do we think so, we believe in it one
hundred percent. We hear stories from parents that tell us it does
really work, too. A memorable example is from a Mother that told

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us how her son was constantly the bench warmer on his baseball
team. He was always the last one put into the game and the one
ignored the most by the coach. The coach would actually tell her,
He just does not have much athletic ability at all.
At one point in the season, about half-way through a session of our
Keeping Kids Safe classes, the boy magically began hitting the
ball well, including a series of homeruns. His batting became the
best on the team and his base running and fielding improved, too.
When the Mother was asked by the coach how this miracle could
have happened the boy interrupted and chimed in, Because
Preston told me I could do anything!
Is this a miracle? It depends on how you view things. It could be
for you. We believe this boy began to realize his Hidden Powers
Of A Child. We think the boy simply tapped into what every child
has by nature. That is the power within themselves to do and be
the best they can be. It just happens to be hidden in a great deal of
kids.
Our society takes great care in taking young, wide-eyed, excited
children and hammering them into compliant adults. There are
societal benefits in doing this. We behave and strive to get along
with everyone. We have laws and rules to follow that keep the
peace.
At the same, time most children slowly lose their dreams and selfconfidence as they grow into adulthood. Doing so begins to bury
those powers until they are hidden. How many kids want to grow
up to be mid-level managers? Who grows up wanting to struggle
with money and finances and making ends meet? Nobody wants
these things but they manifest themselves by slowly loosing the
understanding that we all have an inner strength and power.

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Being the best you can be really isnt a hidden power. It is a power
and strength we believe everyone has, even the youngest children.
We simply remind kids it is there. We simply bring out the power
that kids usually hide under the surface. If they never understood
they have it, we show them they do. If they understand they have
this great power in themselves, we show them how to build on it
even more.

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Chapter Summary

Your childs safety from sexual predators depends on you!

You must own the responsibility for keeping your child safe.

You must make sure they learn how to keep themselves safe from
sexual predators when you are not around.

Mentor your child. It gets into making a positive difference by


influencing your child to be the best they can be as a person.

Commitment is a very powerful word that can work miracles.


You must commit to your childs safety.

View your commitment as the foundation of a lifetime of safety for


your child.

Clarity of focus and vision in teaching your child safety is


powerful.

Clarity of your goal for safety will come with making a


commitment to your childs safety program.

Keep your approach simple, the simpler the better. Clarity comes
with simplicity.

Learn the 5 Secrets To Keeping your child safe.


o
o
o
o
o

Secret #1: Confidence


Secret #2: Empowerment
Secret #3: Catch Them Being Good
Secret #4: Listening
Secret #5: Repetition

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Teach your child the Keeping kids Safe 2 Cardinal Rules.


o I Will Always Do My Best!
o I Will Always Say I Can!

Teach your child to feel good and be able to do it even when they
do not feel good.

Remind your child often, You Can!

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2
______________________________________________

PARENTING SECRETS FOR SAFE


KIDS
______________________________________________

Parenting Skills For The 21st Century


In teaching your child any of our safety techniques there is one
essential thought to keep in the back of your mind at all times:
keep it simple. If there is one parenting skill in todays busy,
photon light speed world you must have, it is simplicity.
Everything we do at Keeping Kids Safe is so simple with much
common sense, it is really hard to make it difficult or challenging
to do. At the same time, everything we do is well thought out and
based on years of experience. Yet, it is all still effective. It is our
Simplicity By Design model we used to create our safety
program.
You will get better results, great results actually, when you keep
your approach to your childs safety as simple as we do. Your
parenting skills, while complex in nature, should be able to present
the material in a simple, easy way so your kids can understand.
The best parenting skill in todays world for a modern parent is
simplicity. It is a 21st century skill.
A simple but effective way to begin teaching your child safety
starts with a positive, fun and exciting approach to the subject.
Even a serious subject like safety and protection from sexual
predators, can be taught to kids in a fun, exciting way with lots of

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positive reinforcement. We get great results with this approach in


our classroom.
Keep your learning sessions with your child fun. Keep them
exciting. Keep what you work on with your child in short segments
packed full of good feelings and laughter. Positive emotions are
very powerful when linked to teaching and learning. When you
develop parenting skills that can do this, your childs learning will
be accelerated.
Your skills should guide your child through a path of learning our
safety techniques rather than boring them with repetitive practice
sessions and memorization. Good parenting skills for real child
safety relate to guiding, mentoring, and teaching your child.
What we teach in the classroom is very powerful. However, it is
still in a classroom. We are effective, but we still are an isolated
occurrence once a week in the busy life of a child. Our techniques
must be reinforced at home by parents for true, lifelong learning.
Good parenting skills play naturally into reinforcing behaviors you
want in your child, easily and effortlessly. Rote repetition should
not have to happen, at least with our techniques. Hone your skills
and make your childs path to safety easy, fun and effective.

The Key To Parenting Success


I will always do my best, becomes a lightning rod for growth
only if it is incorporated into everyday life. This happens when it is
part of family life. It happens when parents and entire families use
and embrace the principles of safe kids we have in this book.

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Growth and learning also happen at great rates in your child when
you let your child express what they naturally possess. This is the
key to your success with your parenting skills. Understand your
childs innate personality. The more you understand the core
nature of your child, their basic personality, the more you can
adjust your skills to play into their natural nature. You allow them
to learn in an easier manner for them. You also reduce conflict
that arises through misunderstanding your child. Just knowing the
basics of your childs personality can help you teach them safety in
a more effective manner.
You can begin to do this with a simple understanding of the
psychological make up of your child.
First, kids are generally:

Introverted

Extroverted

Most kids are a mix of these two traits and somewhere in between
being introverted or extroverted.
Understanding which of these personalities your child is naturally
allows you to guide them through life better. For example, if you
deal with your introverted daughter like she was an extrovert you
will make your interactions with her more difficult than they need
to be. Youll be using skills that she either cannot respond to or
responds to badly, perhaps increasing your frustration level. It can
quickly spiral out of control.
An introvert is basically a shy person. It is usually a person
characterized by concern primarily with his or her own thoughts
and feelings.

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An extrovert is an outgoing, gregarious person. It is usually a


person characterized by extroversion; a person concerned primarily
with the physical and social environment.
It is crucial for you to understand that neither one of these
personality traits is good or bad. They also do not mean that a
child who is an introvert cannot learn to develop skills in the
extrovert arena or the other way around.
Most studies show introverts are a minority at around 30% of the
population. If your child tends to be introverted, they like quiet
activities, especially ones they can do quietly alone. Introverted
kids are not antisocial as much as they are exhausted by activities
that most kids do like pep clubs, sports teams and church activities.
Highlight and value the introverted qualities of concentration,
focus, self discipline, depth, integrity and self knowledge. Getting
your introverted childs attention is pretty easy. Getting them to
focus and increase their mental focus abilities is relatively easy.
Teach them with an accent on their ability to work quietly and
intensely alone, help them allocate reading time and time to reflect
on what you show them. At the same time, making them go out
and play with all the other kids can be counter to their natural
tendencies.
If your child tends to be extroverted, they are just the opposite of
introversion. They are the majority of kids that run around, play
games, sports and seem to run on boundless noise. Our society
values extroverted children highly. These are the kids that need
high energy, excitement and fun built into their learning process
consistently. Play into their energy and excitement.
When you grasp the personality type of your child you begin to
increase you ability to guide them through life better. You can tool
and tune your parenting skills and focus based upon them being
extroverted or introverted. You can get results with your child in a

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manner that is easier for yourself as well as being more effective


and easier for your child.
For example, you can guide them in positive directions more
easily. When you start to get results, you can increase your
effectiveness and adjust your approach as required. More
importantly, when you do not get results you can adjust your
approach until you get results.

The Amazing Skill That Works Miracles


Our kids talk to us all the time. We listen, and we talk back to
them. It happens everyday, but how much of these conversations
and interactions do you really understand? Are you really hearing
what your child is saying from their perspective or are you
interpreting their words into your adult way of thinking and
perceiving?
Learn to understand and interpret what your child is saying, in their
words, in their meanings. This is an invaluable parenting skill
called Listening and is at the center of any safety program for
your child. You need to be able to decipher exactly what they are
saying and meaning when they come to you with an issue.
Good listening skills are part of an array of good parenting skills.
They benefit you in many ways as a parent that go beyond safety
such as making life easier with less conflict for all involved in your
family. Its what we call a secondary benefit of following our
safety program. Good listening skills ease miscommunication and
can eliminate a lot of misunderstandings that sap energy.
There are two keys in listening to your child effectively. One,
learn to understand their words. How your child uses words and

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what your child means with them is very different from how you
use those same words.
Start to create in your mind a dictionary of definitions of words
your child uses. Understand and know their definition of terms and
how they apply them at their age. Keep a watch as to how these
definitions and uses change as they grow.
Two, take the time to stop, sit down and look your child directly in
the eyes when they have something important to tell you. This
simple gesture subtly embeds in your child the fact that you are
there for them to go to any time they need to do so. In terms of
safety, they need to know they can confidently go to you with
anything. They need to have a safe, secure feeling that you will
listen to them.
Yes, every parent today is just too busy but we are talking about 5
minutes of your time! What is your childs safety worth to you?
Yes, your child comes and interrupts you numerous times a day.
You have the intuition however, to know when it is really
important. You know when you have to stop what you are doing,
sit down and listen to them. Take the time to do it.
Finally, whatever your child tells you, stay calm, listen intently and
do not interrupt them. Especially if your child says something that
is disconcerting, you must learn to listen to them calmly.
The bottom line in safety is, you are teaching your child to come to
you if ever they are approached or touched by a sexual predator.
You are showing your child that you, as their parent, are the trusted
confidant they can go to, when anything uncomfortable happens to
them, like being approached by a sexual predator. It is critical in
their ability to keep themselves safe that you become their go to
person.

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Secrets To Deciphering The Silence


Your child also communicates in nonverbal ways, too. We all do.
Its a great asset to have in being able to read your childs body
language. It enhances your parenting skills and ability to teach
them our safety techniques.
This ability, coupled with understanding their personality traits and
good listening skills gives you a very powerful set of parenting
skills. Again, the more skills you have the better you can teach,
mentor and guide them in life and personal safety when you are not
around.
Nonverbal communication is very complicated. However, there
are some simple patterns and gestures you can understand in your
child that helps you communicate better with them, especially
when they are not so talkative. Observe their posture. It will tell
you more than their words, sometimes.
It is not so hard to read the basics of body language. Keep in mind,
these are generalities, but they will give you a basic understanding
of what your child is really saying:

Crossing arms and legs while standing is a


defensive gesture.

If they want to tell you they really don't like a


person or what you may be saying, they narrow
their eyes, tilt their head back and to the side and
keep their lips together. Folding arms always helps
in communicating dislike

The main difference between sitting and standing is


that sitting is a relatively defenseless position,
therefore almost forcing trust and empathy.

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Fibbing usually entails a lack of eye contact and


excessive hand movements.

Shifting from foot to foot shows worrying about


getting found out. Also, it indicates that they want
to go somewhere else to get away so that no guilty
expressions are spotted like looking out the door,
backing up towards the door, half-facing the person
and half-facing the door, etc.

Rubbing the back of the head can demonstrate


comforting oneself when saddened. It also shows
impatience.

Standing with arms crossed shows a sense of being


'closed'. It can also show anger, stubbornness and
assertiveness.

Standing with one hand on hip is the opposite to the


above. It's suggestive of 'openness'.

Inspecting fingernails indicates boredom or vanity.

Hands clasped together or hands placed one over


the other indicates deference and humility.

What does this mean for you? Simply, it offers another


communication tool for you to utilize in parenting your child to
true safety for a lifetime. Is your child bored when you are
teaching them something? Spice up the excitement or do it another
time. Is your child angry with you? Chances are they are not
going to pay much attention to any safety lessons for a while.
Catching your child fibbing is a good time to reinforce honesty and
rewards for being forthright.

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Knowing these characteristics simply adds another element to your


growing arsenal of parenting skills for better child safety.

Catch Them Being Good


It is so easy for parents to catch their kids doing the things they
shouldnt be doing. Its almost natural, too easy, for parents to
highlight these negative things they see. Make an effort to
highlight the good things your child does.
We teach safety to kids from a position of positive reinforcement
and personal growth. We think we get better results with this
approach. We Catch Kids Being Good and make it a point to
praise them.
Kids love praise. They especially love it when it comes from you,
Mom and Dad. Your child lives for your approval. Approve of
them. Be lavish with your praise. Do it consistently. Do it
regularly. Do it with feeling.

The Nucleus Of Safety


What does it mean when all of these skills come together? It
means a safer child. These skills improve your childs learning of
our safety techniques. They can be safe for a lifetime if you use
them when you teach them the actual techniques we will show you.
Good parenting skills can make your child safer and they also have
benefits for your family, too. Good safety and good families are all
intimately interrelated. They go hand-in-hand.

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We call the blending of safe kids and good families, the Nucleus
Of Safety. Maximizing its effectiveness depends on good
parenting skills and commitment to being the best you can be, for
both parents and kids.
Our Nucleus Of Safety is for all families. We know that 65% of
families in America today are headed by single parents. We know
there are multi-racial adoptive families, foster families and
grandparents and aunts and uncles raising kids. The Nucleus Of
Safety is for all of you. It is for anyone raising kids or anyone who
cares about kids. It is for all of you.
This may seem eons away from stopping sexual predators. It is
not. Our approach to safety starts with us focusing on helping
make better kids. When we do that, we can help make them safer
kids. While we focus on stopping sexual predators, we also can
capitalize on what we teach and improve other areas in your
childs life.
So then, what really is this Nucleus Of Safety? It is families
coming together to stay one step in front of sexual predators and
stop them cold. It is our efforts and yours together that will make
this world a little safer for every child. Five minutes a day means
better kids, safer kids, better families.

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Chapter Summary

If there is one parenting skill to have today, it is simplicity.

A simple but effective way to begin teaching your child safety


starts with a positive, fun and exciting approach to the subject.

Keep your learning sessions with your child fun. Keep them
exciting. Keep what you work on with your child in short segments
packed full of good feelings and laughter.

Understand which basic personality type your child is:


Introverted

Extroverted

Most kids are a mix of these two traits and somewhere in between
being introverted or extroverted.

Understanding which of these personalities your child is naturally


allows you to guide them through life better.

Learn to understand and interpret what your child is saying, in their


words, in their meanings.

Listening is at the center of any safety program for your child.

Learn to understand how your child uses words.

Take the time to stop, sit down and look your child directly in the
eyes when they have something important to tell you.

Learn to listen to your child calmly and quietly without


interrupting them.

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Learn to read your childs basic body language to understand what


they are really saying.

Catch your child being good and make it a point to praise them
often.

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3
______________________________________________

THE GROWING CANCER OF


SEXUAL PREDATORS
______________________________________________

Predators That Prowl Our


Neighborhoods
Predators are difficult for most of us to recognize. Any parent will
gladly stand guard in their yard or take their turn patrolling the
street in front of the house watching out for predators. However,
watching out for sexual predators searching for your child is just
not that simple.
First of all, the media does all of us a disservice. Yes, it is trendy
to blame the media for all kinds of ills. When it comes to
predators, we are not blaming the media for a problem, as much as
alerting you to the shortcomings of movies, television shows and
yes, even newscasts.
Movies and television shoes depict predators as if they came from
Mars. We see dirty, leering, filthy adults that would make sewer
rats cringe, as they slink and lurk behind garbage cans.
Newscasts have become focused more on ratings and selling
advertising than hard real news. There are just too many confusing
pieces of information and messages out there for most parents to
filter through. Unfortunately, a lot of the information on child
safety, although well intended, is old, outdated, useless or just

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plain wrong. Many ideas and notions about sexual predators are
just plain wrong, too.
Who are these predators and how can you recognize them? You
really cant. If there is one message for you to understand, it is this
one. Sexual predators look like everyone. They look like your
neighbors. They look like the people at the grocery store. They
look like everyday, normal individuals.
What to do about stopping sexual predators comes from
knowledge and education. Its all about having a trusted source
that can filter through the maze of information and disinformation
for you. Were that filter for you.
First, sexual predators are difficult to spot. Not only do they look
like us but they drive vehicles just like we do, too. They drive
family vehicles that are like every other car on the road.
What we are saying is this: there is no real way to go about your
daily life and be able to spot sexual predators. This is why we
teach kids the added advantage of keeping themselves safe. This is
why we arm kids with all kinds of tool and techniques so they can
deal with people, people in general, so that if in the end they shed
their disguise as normal people and reveal the hidden sexual
predator, your child can be safe.
The Jeffrey Dahmers, John Wayne Gaseys and Ted Bundys of
this world were described as the nice guys next door. All of
them were prowling predators no one spotted.

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Discovering How Predators Prowl


For Kids
We know that sexual predators search for the child that they see as
weak, sad and unhappy. Its the kid with the shuffling feet, head
drooping and eyes fixed to the ground. Its the child that appears
they are in need of a friend. The predator wants an easy target
when the time is right.
For the most part, predators are not interested in any kind of
visible, noisy or public struggle that brings attention to their
nefarious deeds.
In fact, many predators choose to befriend a child first. They
choose to develop a dependent relationship with a child that
appears to be in need of a close friend. It could be a sad, unhappy
child. The predator then offers them gifts, ideas, or simple
emotional comfort that makes the child feel better. The process
slowly introduces sexual context and content into their interactions
and conversations.
Some predators immediately engage in sexually explicit
conversation with children right from the start. Online or Internet
sexual predators may collect and trade child-pornographic images.
Others online may seek real face to face meetings with the kids
they emailed or connected with in chat rooms or social blogs.
There is no one profile. Predators cunningly exploit weakness and
naivet. They will work very hard at driving a wedge between a
child and their family. Predators will even accentuate any minor
problems at home that your child might have, again befriending
them and driving that wedge into the family structure.
A confident child represents more of a challenge, a problem,
someone who will be hard to manipulate, for the sexual predator.

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Confident kids will also be uncooperative. They understand better,


even if they cannot articulate their feelings, that something or
someone is just not right and will avoid them or stay away.

Todays Dangerous World


Todays world is a dangerous place. Todays dangerous world is
very different than anything seen before. Its dangerous for adults.
It is very dangerous for our precious children. This sad truth is a
reality however, one that you must accept and deal with in order to
keep your child safe from sexual predators.
Many parents today just dont know how to keep their kids safe in
a modern world. There is nothing wrong with that. They grew up
themselves with their parents warning of Dont talk to strangers!
when they were a child heading out the door to play. It was truly
useless information to the child back then as it is today, but
somehow made the parents feel their children were safe.
Many parents, although they are adults now, still think like this,
Today, however, this kind of thinking can not only keep your child
unsafe, it may put them at risk as a target for sexual predators. This
kind of thinking can really endanger your child.
This guy has to be a bad stranger, or Stay away from
weirdoes! seems like it has to help. The sad news, however, is it
is useless. The fact is, many parents today have no idea how to
keep themselves safe let alone teach their children safety from
sexual predators.
Telling your child not to talk to strangers or telling your child any
neighbor can be trusted is a recipe for danger. If you go around
like this you are playing with odds that you child will not be the
one ever approached by a sexual predator. That is roulette with

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your childs life. So, well help you change your ideas about child
safety. Well help you teach your child to be safer in todays
world with a little education and knowledge.

The Enormity Of The Problem


Lets start with understanding the problem of sexual predators
today. Lets understand just how big the problem really is. The
FBI states on their February 2007 website statistics:

1 of 5 girls will be sexually molested before her 18th


birthday.

1 of 6 boys will be sexually molested before his 18th


birthday.

1 of 5 children has been propositioned for sex over the


Internet.

2 of 3 sexual abuses are perpetrated against teenagers or


younger children.

90% of sexual assaults are committed against someone the


perpetrator knows.

The median age for male molestation victims under 18 is


9.8 years old.

The median age for female molestation victims under 18 is


9.6 years old.

There are 400,000 new victims of sexual assault every year.

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There are over 550,000 registered sex offenders in the US.

There are over 100,000 sex offenders that fail to register in


the US.

76% of serial rapists claim they were molested as children.

Over 40% of male juvenile delinquents were molested as


children.

These statistics are unacceptable. Some studies show in the last


three years an increase in sexual abuse statistics, as well.
Lowering these statistics, helping solve this growing cancer, starts
with you, Keeping Kids Safe and your child. Teach your kids our
simple techniques in this book.
The problem with statistics is that is neutralizes the affects of
abuse on the people that are touched by it. Statistics make the
victims depersonalized and faceless.
The victims, the children, are the ones that really suffer and abuse
will affect them for a lifetime. Abuse affects all that it touches,
too, including family and friends. Some victims struggle their
entire life to overcome the horror of abuse.
Statistics are fine to make our point. But the real point is the
poignant stories of the victims. Even in our field, we are constantly
struck by the number of individuals who come up to us and tell us
their stories of their lives and the negative effects foisted upon
them by sexual predators.

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Basic Fears To Face


When we hold seminars, classes, meetings or even go to business
gatherings, people line up to tell us their stories of how they or
someone they know, were abused.
It takes great courage for them, for anyone, to face the realty of
sexual abuse. We applaud their courage and take the time to listen
to each one. They are helping stop predators cold along with us
and each of their stories is important.
I was recently in Orlando, Florida and had a short
slide show presentation, and I put up a slide of our
long on the screen behind the stage.
I showed the slide, introduced myself and said, Im
here to STOP PREDATORS COLD!
The audience instantly stood up and clapped and
cheered. It took close to 5 minutes for them to quiet
down and sit again so I could continue.
I was in a room with complete strangers.
I was blown away.
Afterwards everyone in the room lined up to talk to
me. The program I was part of had to shut down
for almost an hour so I could meet and chat with
everyone. In the line at least every fourth or fifth
person told me their own personal story of abuse.
I sat down later that day and had lunch with two
women who each related to me their stories of their
children who were abused. While each woman had

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never met each other until this time, their stories


were sadly similar. They told me how they pursued
the predators into the legal system. They chased
them despite their familys insistence on quietly
ignoring the problem. They spent years pursuing
and chasing the predator without hesitating for a
second. I found myself admiring them and thanking
them for their spirit, persistence and courage.
For weeks after this meeting I was in touch with
many of the individuals as this book unfolded. I
became even more driven to get this out so I could
help as many kids as possible.
In connecting with one individual, who had
marketed his book successfully and in a similar
manner, he told me, I cannot talk to you anymore.
This is just too close to me. Please respect my
feelings.
I wrote him back and said, Thank you. I will. I
wish you the best.
Why am I telling you all this?
Even with my involvement in Keeping Kids Safe,
even knowing what I know today, I am still shocked
at the depth and breath of child abuse in our world.
It touches everyone in some way. Sexual predators
must be stopped.
- Joyce Jackson

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It Could Happen To You


If the is one message we want to get across to all parents, it is, Be
Proactive. Never make the mistake of thinking a sexual predator
could never abuse your child.
We are not fomenting paranoia. We are, however, touting the
reality of todays world. Teach your child our safety ideas and
techniques. They are really fun to learn and do as games, even
with a serious topic like safety. Teach your child to keep
themselves safe for a lifetime.

The Dangers Of False Ideas


Were going to dispel some of the false ideas about child safety.
There are a lot of websites around today, a lot of ideas and a lot of
methods being taught for child safety. Some of these ideas are just
downright false. Be wary of any of our Top Three False Ideas
About Safety. They may not only not keep your child safe but
endanger them by a false sense of security in both you and your
child.
False Safety Idea #1: Dont Talk To Strangers.
If we didnt talk to strangers wed never make new friends. Just
answer this, did you talk to the cashier at the gas station today?
Did you exchange pleasantries at the grocery store with the check
out clerk? We talk to strangers all the time. We need to talk to
strangers in everyday life or we would be isolated. Our lives,
everyday, are all about interacting with people that we dont know
very well. These people are strangers.
Its pretty confusing then, to tell you child not to talk with
strangers when they see you doing this all the time.

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A stranger is simply someone you dont know very well. Knowing


someone well means you visit them in their home, spend time with
their family and they with yours.
We talk to strangers all the time and its OK for our kids to talk to
strangers, too, as long as they do it with some additional safety
techniques, like an effective Circle Of Safety.
A stranger is someone you dont know very well. Therefore, teach
your child this simple idea of a stranger. Then teach them to deal
effectively with all strangers. Then, if a stranger turns out to be a
bad stranger, they can keep themselves safe and escape.
False Safety Idea #2: Teach Your Child An 8 to 10 Circle Of
Safety
Probably one of the worst things you can do is tell your child to
stay 10 feet away from strangers.
Do this exercise:
Get 10 feet away from you kid and blitz in on them.
Surprise them. By the time they realize what is
happening and turn to run you can grab them.
This basic Circle Of Safety is true in theory. It is true as long as no
one moves. This is the problem with most child safety programs
that teach a Circle of Safety. In situations where kids are grabbed
by predators no one is standing still.
We take the idea of the Circle of Safety one giant step further, five
to ten feet further, to be exact.
We teach a 15 to 20 Circle Of Safety. Why? Its pretty simple:
the standard 8 to 10 Circle Of Safety does not work if an adult
blitzes in full speed to grab a kid. Kids need time to react and run

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at kid speed and still stay ahead of a running adult. The 8 to 10


circle does not give them enough reaction time.
False Safety Idea #3: Yelling Help! When In Trouble Will
Get Peoples Attention
Yelling Help! when in trouble or grabbed by a predator will not
get a child help. Most kids yell when they play. A lot of kids yell,
Help! when they play and repeat it several times at the top of
their voice. We have all come to ignore this.
We teach kids to yell, Fire! when they are grabbed or in real
danger. It is a word that gets peoples attention. It is a word that
can get them help, fast.

Extreme Predators
There are, much to all of our horror, child predators that will go to
any measure, any extreme measure to abduct a child. These
heinous individuals will use weapons, sneak attacks, hidden drugs
and teams of helpers to grab and abduct a child.
We call these people Extreme Predators.
To thwart these people we have to get very creative and extremely
effective in our techniques ourselves. We use Extreme Safety
techniques we teach our advanced students in order to arm them
with the ability to keep themselves safe under any circumstances.
The first rule in dealing with Extreme Predators is to never leave
the place you are at with any stranger. It is the first step in stifling
any abduction. A child must understand that whatever transpires,
their first rule of safety is to never leave the area they are at with
their abductor.

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There are a number of things they can do to accomplish this, even


if the predator has a weapon.
If a child finds themselves starting to be grabbed and dragged
away we teach them to drop to the ground and grab something with
both arms and legs. Grab a mail box. Grab a sign post. If there is
nothing for them to grab onto we teach them to grab hold of the
legs of the actual predator.
We show them how to completely wrap both arms and legs around
any object and draw their hands in tight to their chest making their
grasp even more effective. All the while we teach them to yell
Fire! Fire!
If the predator displays a weapon such as a knife or a gun a real
challenge exists. We teach kids to fake a seizure, an asthma attack
or a choking fit. Basically, they fall to the ground faking a dire
medical condition, anything, to throw the predator off their mission
of abduction and allow the child a chance to stay in the area.
Why is staying in the area SO CRITICAL?
It is about survival for the child at this point. It comes down to
simply saving their life. The staggering facts from the FBI show
that most abducted children are eventually killed by their
abductors. A child who can figure out a way to stay in the area will
increase their chances of staying alive.
Yes, these are extreme measures. Life and death situations call for
these measures and these may save just one more childs life.

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Chapter Summary

What to do about stopping sexual predators comes from


knowledge and education.

Sexual predators are everywhere in todays world. There is no real


way to go about your daily life and be able to spot sexual
predators. This is why we teach kids the added advantage of
keeping themselves safe.

Predators prowl for easy victims.

There is no one predator profile. Predators cunningly exploit


weakness and naivet. They will work very hard at driving a
wedge between a child and their family.

The victims, the children, are the ones that really suffer and abuse
will affect them for a lifetime.

Abuse affects all that it touches, too, including family and friends.
Some victims struggle their entire life to overcome the horror of
abuse.

Never make the mistake of thinking a sexual predator could never


abuse your child.

False ideas about safety may not only not keep your child safe but
endanger them by a false sense of security in both you and your
child.

False Safety Idea #1: Dont Talk To Strangers

False Safety Idea #2: Teach Your Child An 8 to 10 Circle Of


Safety

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False Safety Idea #3: Yelling Help! When In Trouble Will


Get Peoples Attention

We use Extreme Safety techniques to arm kids with the ability to


keep themselves safe under any circumstances, including Extreme
Predators.

The first rule in dealing with Extreme Predators is to never leave


the place you are at with any stranger.

Teach your child how to completely wrap both arms and legs
around any object and draw their hands in tight to their chest
making their grasp even more effective.

If the predator displays a weapon such as a knife or a gun teach


your child to fake a seizure, an asthma attack or a choking fit and
fall to the ground.

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4
______________________________________________

HIDDEN POWERS OF A CHILD


______________________________________________

The Immutable Laws Of Safety


There are certain things we have learned that we just have to do in
order to teach kids to keep themselves safe. For example, we have
to talk with and play with the kids. With the kids and not To
the kids is a crucial element in teaching them effectively.
We can talk all day long to kids but it is truly about getting through
to each child, in order to get them to learn safety techniques. It is
truly about kids understanding what it is we are saying so they can
learn how to keep themselves safe.
We have discovered certain Immutable Laws Of Safety we must
follow in order to insure that kids, who need to learn to keep
themselves safe, understand and learn what we are teaching them.
Law #1: Get Their Attention
No matter what you want to teach to kids, there is one thing you
have to do: get their attention.
With personal safety issues, this is critical. And, theres not a lot
of room for error with this topic. Kids lives are at stake. We take
this Law very seriously. We get the kids attention from the second
they walk into our classroom.
Not only do we have to get their attention, we have to hold it for 45
minutes. We do this by intentionally creating a fun and exciting
environment for the kids. The children have to be happy, excited

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and want to be in class. Sometimes they are naturally excited and


full of anticipation. Sometimes they are flat and tired.
Its our job, regardless of their energy level, to get their attention
and make the class fun and exciting. When we do that, even a
topic as serious as personal safety, can be taught in a fun and
exciting way.
This Law is the first key in teaching children anything. We always
make it a point to pump up the excitement and fun so the first order
of business is getting kids attention.
Law #2: Build Their Confidence
Weve already touched upon confidence as a key to safer kids. We
cannot emphasize it enough. Once we have the kids attention, we
immediately start right in with teaching them to appear and learn to
be more confident.
Your child is less of a target for predators by walking around
looking more confident and happy, even when they dont
necessarily feel that way. Confident kids are not an easy target and
that is why they are safer. With their shoulders back, head high and
eyes alert to the environment around them, they appear to be more
of a problem for a predator when you are not around.
If you child is walking home from school with their head held high
and tuned into their environment with sharp mental focus, they
should be able to see a potentially dangerous situation and avoid it.
If your child cannot consciously understand what is wrong but
feels uneasy around a certain adult, they can leave the area and tell
you about it. They are listening to their gut reaction and following
their natural instincts to safety. Confidence in oneself is one of the
crucial keys to a safe child.

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How do you build confidence in your child? One of the things that
works very well is positive motivation. Using positive motivation
rather than negative criticism to motivate your child is a great way
to build confidence.
In its simplest form, positive motivation is going out of your way
to praise your child for the good things you see them doing. Praise
them for the many small good things they do as well as the larger
ones. Praise them profusely and more importantly, mean it when
you say it. Do it without qualifications.
Your true parenting skill comes in praising them for their effort,
not your expectations. Stay away from the, "This is 'OK' but..."
mentality. Start by being aware that most children aren't going to
perform any task to adult expectations. If your child does not
perform up to your standards, it is vitally important you still
complement them on the effort they did do. If nothing else, thank
them for their effort or for at least listening to you and trying to
execute the task. "Thank you for listening to me," is very powerful.
Your child lives to please you which is why positive motivation
works so well with children. At the same time, when you ask your
child to do something and follow with telling them they have failed
at it in some way to pull it off, it is berating them for their
performance. It can be devastating to a child's self image.
In reality, if you ask them to do something and they do it to their
ability, your child should be praised and complimented for their
execution of the task. In reality, they did what you asked them to
do. You as the parent should then guide them into better execution
of the task next time.
Building confidence happens over time with consistent effort on
your part. It grows as your child does. It is never too early to begin
building confidence and never too late to start.

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Law #3: A Stranger Is Someone You Dont Know Very Well


It is very important to know who is a stranger. We talk about this
time and time again in many ways and re-emphasize it here. At
Keeping Kids Safe, a stranger is simply someone you dont
know very well.
We teach kids to deal effectively with strangers, all strangers. For
true safety from sexual predators, it does not matter if a stranger is
good or bad, just that they are strangers. So, it comes down to what
really is a definition of a stranger and how to deal with all
strangers in general.
For a child, the simpler the concept, the easier it is to understand
and do what needs to be done. That is the idea behind learning to
deal with strangers, all types of strangers. Our idea of a stranger
being someone you dont know very well is simple enough for
even a child of four to understand.
And there are a lot of strangers out there. The world is full of
strangers. We run into more strangers everyday than we do close
friends. If you or your kids never talked to strangers they would
literally never talk to very many people.
A STRANGER IS SOMEONE YOU DONT KNOW VERY
WELL.
It is that simple.
We live in a society in a social world as human beings that are very
sociable. We need to talk to strangers in order to make new
friends, new business contacts or future relationships. The point is,
we talk to strangers all the time!
Here is how pervasive strangers really are: do you chat with the
check out clerk at the grocery store? Do you exchange pleasantries

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with the pharmacist? Do you wave and say Hi! to the neighbor
on the next block in the health club?
Of course you do. We all do.
However, have you been in their homes? Have you had dinner
with them and met their families? Do you spend time with them
on a one-to-one basis each week?
Most likely, you have not. Therefore, they are strangers.
A stranger is someone you dont know very well. And the
definition of well is knowing and spending time with them and
their family. You spend the time with them within the confines of
your or their home on a regular basis.
Now, who really is a stranger?
We are surrounded by strangers every day. When you understand
this definition of a stranger you can begin to realize not only how
but how easy it is for a child to begin to understand this.
Law #4: Its OK To Talk To Strangers
A stranger is someone you dont know very well and its OK to
talk to them. Again, something we mentioned before but is so
critical is worth mentioning again.
Our techniques, tips and strategies are unique, effective and yes,
controversial because they are based upon this idea that a stranger
is someone you dont know very well and that you can talk to
them.
Again, this is so simple, we find that children can grasp these two
simple ideas and understand them. They know what these two
things mean in their brain and at their age.

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Do this: do a search on Google for kid safety program. There are


millions of links and websites out there that want to teach you
about bad strangers and dont talk to strangers and how strangers
will hurt you.
Confused? Just think about what this does to the thinking process
in a child. Most kids right now, today, including your child do not
know who the real threats are. Your child and many kids out there
are confused about predators and real threats.
We clarify this down to the simple truth of who is a stranger for a
child at their level of thinking: it is someone you dont know very
well.
And heres another shock for you: your childs teacher at school is
a stranger, too.
Most of us do not sit down in the homes of our kids school
teachers. We interact with them more than most people but we
still do not know them very well as a person.
The school situation is OK however because of the number of
other kids and adults around and the environment. But it is
important to understand the idea of a stranger.
We talk to strangers all the time. We need to talk to strangers in
everyday life or we would be isolated.
It is all about people that we dont know very well and knowing
someone well means we visit them in their homes, we spend time
with them in their homes and we know their families and they
know ours.
It simply comes down to how we teach kids to deal with strangers.
The simplest way your child can understand what a stranger is, is
by applying this easy rule: If your child would not get into a car

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with the person and let them drive them somewhere, they are a
stranger.
Law #5: When A Stranger Approaches Engage A Circle Of
Safety
If your child finds themselves alone somewhere and a stranger
approaches, teach them to engage in a Circle Of Safety. Again, to
emphasize, teach them to do this with any stranger when they are
alone. Additionally, teach them an effective Circle Of Safety.
An effective Circle Of Safety for an elementary school child is 15
to 20 in diameter. Most safety programs teach an 8 to 12 Circle
Of Safety. We expand it. The simple fact is, most young children
cannot turn and run away fast enough in the event a large adult
runs in full stride at them with a 8 to 12 Circle Of Safety. With
the expanded version we teach even the youngest child can do two
things very well: one, talk and communicate effectively with the
stranger from 15 to 20 without shouting. Two, they have plenty
of distance to turn and run to safety even if a large, fast adult
charges at them.
If a stranger approaches or gets too close to a childs Circle of
Safety, kids yell a single command while raising their arm up into
a stop-like gesture. The command is, STOP! Im not supposed to
get close to Strangers!
If the stranger continues toward the child we then again teach kids
to turn and run away to someone for help. If the stranger simply
has a question like, Im looking for the hospital they can still ask
the child from a distance. The 15 to 20 Circle Of Safety allows
for normal conversation.
They can also recognize what the child is doing and move away,
again as most responsible people will do when this happens. We
teach kids to never let any stranger in their Circle of Safety. If it
happens then we teach them to turn and run.

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Be aware that these are definitions based on when your child finds
them self alone with an approaching stranger. Again, with the
example at school, your child will not engage their teacher with a
Circle Of Safety, even if they are a stranger by our definition. Why
is this OK? Because the school environment has many other
people, both children and adults, present that provides safety
around strangers. Its the same with summer camps, after school
groups and sports activities. You can easily make this distinction
for your child and they will understand.
Law #6: Speak In A Power Voice
We teach kids in danger to speak with their Power Voice.
Everyone has one of these and the technique is in teaching a child
to use a strong voice that comes from the abdomen, not the throat.
Each child is capable of this type of voice, even children as young
as four years old.
When kids yell, and most adults too, they yell from their throat.
We teach kids to yell from their belly. This belly yell is easy to do.
Put your hand on your abdomen and push out with your stomach
muscles. Do it again and huff out a breath with it. Do it one more
time and this time push out your breath and make a sound with it.
It sounds like a deep Huh!
More importantly, it comes out with a measure of strength and
power. This is the kids safety Power Voice. We practice this a lot
with kids and tell them to, Bounce Your Voice off The Walls!
Again, it comes from the abdomen, not the throat and when done
correctly the difference is astonishing.
Kids will need to learn this voice in case they ever need to use it in
a threatening situation. It will get peoples attention when it is
used.

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Once again, how do you teach your child this at home? First and
foremost, make it a game. Start with making it fun,
Hey Susie, want to play a game?" works better than, "Susie, let's
practice our Power Voice."
Get your child's "Buy in" to the game to get their attention.
Then add an element of success in it. A win-lose element in it
works magic for your child such as, "If I win I get a cupcake and if
you win you get the cupcake" will heighten their interest. We call
playing the Power Voice game, "bouncing the voice off the wall
with fun."
As you do this make sure you keep eye contact with your child,
keep the game short and keep it fun. Get creative with your games
and come up with something fun your child can enjoy!

Law #7: Yell FIRE! When In A Dangerous Situation


Yelling Fire! when in a dangerous or threatening situation will
get a child help fast.
When a child turns and runs from their Circle Of Safety they need
to get the attention of someone that will help them immediately.
We teach kids to yell, Fire! for many reasons. One, kids are
always yelling when they play. One of their favorite things to yell
when playing is Help! They also tend to yell Help! in very
high pitched, throaty voices. Adults and other family members
quickly learn to ignore these yells of Help!
If a child yells Help! and really means it, chances are they will
be ignored. They will not get the help they need when they really
need it.
Why?

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Cries of "Help!" do not get people's attention because "Help!"


simply does not say anything. It is ambiguous. It provides no
information. "Help!" tells us someone is in trouble but it gives no
details. Most people will hesitate to get involved because we fear
for our own safety with cries of "Help!"
We teach kids to yell, Fire! when they are in need of real help.
The word Fire! gets anyones attention immediately. It is a word
that is rarely, if ever, ignored. It, as a word by itself, gives details.
Even if it is yelled in a high pitched throaty voice it will get
peoples attention.
Law #8: Listen To Your Belly Brain
We teach kids that they have two brains, the one in their head and
one in their belly.
We call the one in the belly the Belly Brain.
We teach kids to listen to their Belly Brain. For adults, this is
that visceral, gut feeling that is always right. Kids have this gut
feeling too, but they need some help in learning how to listen to it
and use it to keep themselves safe.
We take time to show them how the Belly Brain works for them
and how to listen to it. We help kids distinguish between and
understand the difference in their Head Brain and their Belly
Brain. We also show them that their Belly Brain is always right.
In the class, we show the kids how their Head Brain can
sometimes trick them. We reinforce the Belly Brain as the alarm
clock for potentially dangerous situations. Kids can learn to
recognize the uneasiness in their stomach without panic, alarm and
worry. So, we teach them to see potential danger calmly and avoid
it with any number of safety techniques we teach.

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When kids tune into their Belly Brain they are more tuned in to
detecting uncomfortable situations, situations with questionable
adults and inappropriate behavior.
Kids naturally feel uncomfortable with inappropriate questions and
behaviors they are around. We simply show them how to be alert
to it with their Belly Brain and immediately take action when
they feel it talk to them.
When kids learn to listen to their Belly Brain we show them how
to follow up by immediately acting on it. That action is as simple
and effective as leaving the area where they feel funny and
telling a trusted adult like Mom and Dad about how they feel and
who they were with when they feel their Belly Brain talk to
them.
Law# 9: When Grabbed By A Predator, Yell, Point and Look
In the horrible event a child is grabbed by a sexual predator we
teach them to stay calm, focus, do three things.
The first is to yell with a Power Voice:

FIRE! FIRE! Hes Not My Dad!


The yell changes based upon who is grabbing. For an adult
woman:

FIRE! FIRE! Shes Not My Mom!


For a teenage boy:

FIRE! FIRE! Hes Not My Brother!


For a teenage girl:

FIRE! FIRE! Shes Not My Sister!

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Two, we teach children to look directly into the predators eyes


and point at them with their free hand while yelling. The reason
for this scenario and specific technique is simple: this type of yell,
look and pointing is different from when Mom or Dad take a child
home.
Almost every kid at the park on weekends screams and yells when
the parents tell them its time to go home. They whine, they cry,
they dig in their heels and when Mom or Dad grabs their wrist they
pull back yelling, No! No! No! There are no kids being pulled
home by parents that are yelling, FIRE! FIRE! Hes Not My
Dad!
Three, we teach the child to perform this yell sequence until they
get help. Its more than a one time thing. Its a continual sequence
of abdominal yells, techniques and movements.
Four, we teach kids to look directly into the predators eyes while
executing these safety techniques. It gives the child an extra edge
in that most kids do not look adults directly into their eyes and it
increase their chance of being noticed. It also may throw the
predator off for a split second with a child penetrating them with a
strong gaze. A split second like this could afford a child an escape
to safety.

The Ultimate Safety Secret


The one thing, above all else, that is paramount in your child being
able to keep themselves safe, is mental focus. It is so important,
that we call it the Power Of Focus.
Our program starts with the Power Of Focus because it is
paramount in having children develop the ability to protect
themselves. Your child must have the mental ability to focus in

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order to get out of threatening situations.


The fact is, if your child cannot mentally focus they will not be
able to keep themselves safe. Whenever a threatening situation is
developing your child needs to be able to spot it before they are
caught in it. Focus. If your child is caught in a dangerous situation
they need to get out of it. Focus. If your child is grabbed they
need to escape. They need to focus. Mental Focus.
We teach children, as young as four, the Power Of Focus. With
teaching them focus abilities, comes an increased ability to
concentrate, even for even the youngest children. With increased
focus comes the ability to stay calm in a crisis, assess a viable
escape and execute it to complete safety. Our methods can improve
your childs focus. We can get effective results with very young
and small children.
The type of focus we are talking about is a little different than what
you may be thinking. As your child grows, they encounter
situations, such as sports, that teach them focus. Children can get
very good focusing on a specific thing, like a technique in sports.
Personal safety is different.
Personal safety requires mental focus before any safety techniques
can be learned. In sports, focus is a byproduct of the activity. In
safety, each unfolding danger situation is fluid. There may never
be anything repeatable like in a sports activity. We teach mental
focus as an independent activity so kids can learn to be calm, look
at a fluid and dynamic situation and be able to get themselves out
of it.
This works and does elicit results, again, even in the youngest
children. We teach children to develop and extend their focus
abilities. With age appropriate exercises and encouragement kids
can learn to do this very well. We do this best with games. Mental
focus is a child's ability to understand something. Understanding

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enables them to react appropriately to it, like reacting appropriately


to threatening situations. You can increase this focus ability at
home by playing mental focus games.
One such game we use is our "Powers of Understanding" Game.
Here, we ask a child to look down at their shoes, then give them a
list of four or five things to do. We ask the child to repeat the list
back. More often than not, they cannot repeat the entire list. Then
we ask the child to look us directly in the eyes and give them a
new list. When we ask them to repeat it back to us, most kids get it
correct. They also can repeat it in the order given them. Getting
this focus game down for a child depends on their ability to look
you in the eyes, so make sure you tune into this.
Be creative with this game, too. Sometimes we call this the
"Shopping Game" and ask the kids what they want to shop for to
help in getting their buy-in. If they say "Toys!" we say, "OK!
You're going to the toy store and youre going to get a doll, a green
bike a big blue ball and a dump truck. Now, what are you going
to get at the toy store?"
You can also use a chalk board and write down the items if you
wish, and then ask them to say the list back to you. Just make it
fun.
We're only talking 5 or 10 minutes games. Longer and the child
will not want to play in the future. You can create any game, just
use the same scenario mentioned before: get their attention, get
their buy in, make it simple, short, fun and exciting with a winning
prize at the end.

Improve This And Your Child Will Be


Safer

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Teach your child these safety techniques in this book, but teach
them in their own words. You have to teach your child by talking
to your child in words they understand. Communicate safety to
them in their words and youll teach them faster and better.
Adults talk to children all day long. We have all seen the cartoons
that show adults as nothing more than noisy Blah! Blah! Blah!
nonsense sounds around children. They are not far from the truth to
kids.
Weve learned that talking with kids rather than talking to them
works. We relate to kids in a manner that is fun, even on a serious
topic such as safety. It makes the learning process faster, easier and
more effective, for the children.
We talk to them in terms and words they use and they understand.
We sit on the floor with the kids so we can be one of them among
the group. We look them in the eyes at their eye level instead of
standing up looking down at them.
We teach them how to stay safe from strangers. We teach them
what a stranger really is and how to stay out of danger with any
stranger. We also show them how to communicate with a stranger
in order to keep safe. A lot of people do what we do but we do it
more effectively in a manner that gets through to the kids. Its all
about teaching kids to keep themselves safe.

Defining Ultimate Safety


So, we talk to and teach the kids in manner that gets right to them.
At the same time we need the parents on board with everything we
do, too. Ultimate safety comes from parents.

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Parents are integral in our Keeping Kids Safe program. Kids get
the most out of what we teach them when we engage the parents as
part of the teaching and learning process.
First, kids want to please their parents. They will work very hard
to do things they know will gain the smiles, kisses and pats that go
along with the approval of Mom and Dad. At young ages, kids
will do things they have little or no interest in because they know
they will gain favor with their parents.
With Keeping Kids Safe we bring parents into our classes,
exercises and techniques. Why not have kids engage in safety
activities that benefit them while they also receive approval and
applause from their parents? It is called Positive Feedback and
we use it all the time. It is the most effective way we know to
teach kids personal safety It simply accelerates the learning
process for the child.
Positive reinforcement techniques are pretty simple. Good job!
Thats super! Great! Next time lets see if we can do are all
positive reinforcement words. Make sure there is enough Youre
great! added in there, too. Along with words make sure your
body language says the same things: eye contact and full attention
focused on your child when they are speaking to you.
Second, practice at home reinforces safety issues through
repetition. We are great believers in repetition. It is the most time
honored teaching tool on the planet and we use it relentlessly.
Repetition does not mean dull, either. It simply means doing things
again and again. There are many ways we repeat things so kids
remember however they are carefully disguised as fun and new and
exciting for kids. We come at our safety ideas from many different
angles in our classes for the express purpose of keeping things
interesting for the children and parents alike.

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It is just flat out true, that the more kids are exposed to something, the
better they learn it. If your child grows weary of hearing an idea
repeatedly, be thankful. That means they have learned it so well that it
now bores them a bit. This is far better than them being exposed to an
idea only once in class and not have it take root in their memory.
Parents must take our ideas out of the classroom and use them at
home for the safest kids.

The Philosophy Of Safety


We also know kids learn by watching. Who do kids watch the
most? Who do kids get influenced the most by when they are
young? The answer is their parents.
It does not matter if the behavior is positive or negative, the child
observes, the child mimics, the behavior of their most cherished
icons, Mom and Dad. Kids watch and learn from the examples set
by their parents. This is why parents can capitalize on teaching
their children silently by example, by being the best they can be as
adults.
By being the best they can be as adults and as parents. Are you?
To get the most out of teaching your child to keep themselves safe,
you need to be the best you can be as an adult and set that example.
Are you a confident person? Are you calm in a crisis? Do you
have a positive outlook and can do attitude?
These are critical qualities your child needs to have in order to be
able to keep themselves safe when you are not around. The are
critical qualities you need to display for them to learn as they
watch you go through life. Do you have them?

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Whether you want to be or not, whether you consciously work at it


or not, whether you believe this or not, your child is watching,
absorbing and mimicking very quietly everything about you as
their parent.
So, Mom and Dad, you need to be the best you can be.

Setting The Example


So how do you do any of this with kids, family, jobs, obligations
and just flat out the every day demands of living in todays world?
There are two simple steps. One, start. Yes. Take action and just
start somewhere rather than debate, think and plan. Take action
and just start doing any one idea we have in this book.
If you do one thing every other day for a few weeks it will open
doors that will bring you ideas and ways to move and improve.
It can be as simple as telling your child how good they are. Then,
tell yourself how good a person you are, too! Then follow up with
telling yourself you feel good. Every day, whether you do or not,
tell yourself you feel good. Every day, several times a day say to
yourself, I feel Good! Say it with meaning, say it with emotion,
and say it often.
Two, even if you do not feel good, say it! Delete the negative
thoughts. Just STOP them in your mind. Focus on feeling good.
It will take hold after a relatively short period of time.
You may think this is silly but feeling good is the foundation for
all good things that are to follow.
Did you know your kids do this unconsciously? Their first thought
in the morning is not OOOO! My Back! Kids think about their

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toys, what they want to eat and where they are going for the day
that will be fun and make them feel good.
As adults we learned day after day, over the years, how not to feel
good. Remember those times as a child when you felt great? GO
back to remembering those days if you have to do so. Be like a
child in your mind. Be like your child. Train your mind to feel
good.
What did you dream about at 8 years old? Watch your kids as they
play. They have wild facial expressions and their words come out
with giddy laughs. Eyes are wide as they talk about fun things.
Kids dream about and play at being great people when they grow
up. They imitate their heroes and people that impress them.
Every answer to what do you want to grow up to be? is
accompanied by waving hands and full body gesture as they see in
their minds eye what they are thinking. We hear kids dreams
about being happy, doing fun things, being a famous dancer,
astronaut, scientist, explorer or symphony musician. We never
once heard a child say that they want to have a dead end job and
surround themselves with debt, stress, worry or money problems.
You should be who your child wants to be. You should be
someone your child looks up to an wants to imitate. Make it a
positive image for them.
Somewhere along the way of growing up most adults let go of their
dreams. In letting go of them, most adults also lose the desire to
continually move forward and evolve as human beings.
We think life can be better the older you get. We know life is
better the older you get. Improving, moving forward, evolution,
growth, what ever it is you call it you can do it and strive for your
dreams what ever your age.

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Dreams are for adults.


Find your dreams again. Sure, theyve changed since your were a
child. Maybe they have not. Spend some quiet time resurfacing
your dreams again.
It may seam like a childs fantasy and that is the point. Become
more child-like. Kids hold onto their dreams because they have not
been conditioned to let go of them. The negative influences of our
society drum us into submission to let go and become one of the
masses.
It is never too late to find a dream and pursue it. It will keep you
young and keep you excited for the rest of your life. It will make a
difference with you and your child. It could even help make your
child safer when their Mom and Dad is the best they can be.

The I Can Principle


We have two rules for the kids in our classes that we have
mentioned before:

Always Do Your Best

Always Say I can!

These are perfect for parents to embrace for themselves, too.


I can.

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When the child lives these ideas daily the learning is even faster.
If parents live these principles and apply them to the family in
general, they make better parents. They make better families.
How can you do this?
Start by saying daily I can.
Saying, I Can! may seem silly at first, even if you dont feel that
way. Stick with it. Your example will set the stage for your child
better than you can possibly imagine. If you can, what do you
think your child could do?
Think of it this way, the better you are the better your child will be
in all areas of their life, safety included. Now do it. Say, I Can!
Commit to and do it several times a day.

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Chapter Summary
There are certain Immutable Laws Of Safety to follow in order to
insure that kids, who need to learn to keep themselves safe,
understand and learn what we are teaching them.

Law #1: Get Their Attention

Law #2: Build Their Confidence

Law #3: A Stranger Is Someone You Dont Know Very


Well

Law #4: Its OK To Talk To Strangers

Law #5: When A Stranger Approaches Engage A Circle Of


Safety

Law #6: Speak In A Power Voice

Law #7: Yell FIRE! When In A Dangerous Situation

Law #8: Listen To Your Belly Brain

Law# 9: When Grabbed By A Predator, Yell, Point and


Look

Ultimate safety comes from parents.

Kids get the most out of what we teach them when we


engage the parents as part of the teaching and learning
process.

Practice at home reinforces safety issues through repetition.

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Parents must take our ideas out of the classroom and use them
at home for the safest kids.

To get the most out of teaching your child to keep


themselves safe, you need to be the best you can be as an
adult and set that example.

Every day, several times a day say to yourself, I feel


Good! Say it with meaning, say it with emotion, and say
it often.

Two, even if you do not feel good, say it! Delete the
negative thoughts.

You should be who your child wants to imitate. Make it a


positive image.

Find your dreams again. It is never too late to find a dream


and pursue it.

Say daily to yourself, I can.

The better you are the better your child will be in all areas
of their life, safety included.

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5
______________________________________________

MASTERING YOUR CHILDS SAFETY


______________________________________________

The Magic In Simplicity


Our approach to child safety, our entire Keeping Kids Safe
program for that matter, is Simplicity By Design. Simplicity
creates magical results with kids in our classes.
The beauty of it is in our approach is in its simplicity and it is
intentional. We take complex subjects like child safety,
psychology, teaching techniques and parenting skills and blend
them in such a way as to create a seamless and easy program that
kids can learn and use on their own.
The easiest part in our approach is working with the kids
themselves. As long as we keep our classes and information
exciting and interesting, we can teach kids everything we need to
teach them about keeping themselves safe. The difficult and
challenging part can be in working with the parents.

Where Real Safety Begins


Real safety begins at home. Therefore, we have to work with the
parents. In order to keep a child safe, the bottom line is that parents
have to be on top of things as an adult and a parent, in order to

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reinforce what we teach, at home. Parents need to be solid,


centered adults.
We find that many parents who come to our class are not on top of
things. For all kinds of reasons, we as adults, carry around too
much baggage in our lives. Memories, incidents, thoughts and
feelings from the past, that subconsciously transfers to our
children, bog down even the best parental intentions.
We also find many of the parents that bring their children to our
classes are not particularly confident in themselves. We find many
have lost their drive and desire for their dreams and goals in life.
We find many are trapped in jobs they hate. Many feel
overburdened, worried and tired.
As weve mentioned, parents need to teach, mentor and lead their
children by example, both in life and safety.

Changing Your Destiny For Your Child


Therefore, we involve parents in everything we teach. We subtly,
and sometimes not so subtly, fold Mom and Dad into every class.
We work with the parents, too, so they can be their best. We
improve families and kids together in order to keep them all safe.
Sometimes we work with parents as much as we work with some
of the kids. The message is blunt but clear: take care of yourself in
order to take care of your kids. Be the best you can be so your
child is the best they can be.
If not, then we try to help them understand they need to change,
they need to improve. We help them commit to self improvement
and they learn along with their child.

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We talk to parents about having the ability to take action. Action


is required in improving themselves and in teaching their children
great safety for a lifetime. Parents must take action and be
capable of change for their childrens sake.
If a parent does not want to hear our message or cannot change
when it is required, then they can forget about helping their kids.
Its painful but its the brutal truth.
To all parents we say, we can help you!
Every single one of our classes ties into better parenting skills. If
you have good skills well help you make them better. If you need
to learn better skills well teach them to you. Most parents will do
it because its about their kids safety. Its about being the best you
can be as an individual and adult and parent role model for your
kids.
Be warned that some of the information we have will make you
uncomfortable. Some of the ideas we teach are controversial. But
everything we teach we stand behind and it works. Keeping Kids
Safe is controversial but it is also effective.
The bottom line is, how much do you want to be a little less
worried about your kids when you are not around? If you ever
stayed awake at night worrying about your kids than this is for you
and your family.
Why? Because Keeping Kids Safe is our business.
Safety, even Keeping Kids Safe safety, depends on parents
teaching, nurturing, embracing and reinforcing our ideas and
techniques with their kids.
For the last twenty years we have been developing and teaching
the Keeping Kids Safe program. It is a great child safety program.

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In Walnut Creek, California we home base with a series of 10


week Keeping Kids Safe classes throughout the year. These are
open to anyone who cares about children and their safety.

The Proven Success Formula For Safe


Kids
Our proven success formula to stop sexual predators cold is
simplicity itself, too. First, we teach kids to feel good about
themselves. When they do, they start to be more confident.
We know confident kids stand a little taller, keep their shoulders
back and their heads up little higher and are by nature, less of a
target for sexual predators. We also know confident kids display
certain physical structural changes that allow them to better control
their body movements. We see enhanced mental focus and
concentration. These two characteristics add up to making the
Keeping Kids Safe safety techniques that much more effective.
Our proven success formula to stop sexual predators cold is
simplicity itself, too. First, we teach kids to feel good about
themselves. Then, we teach parents how to build on this at home.
When they both understand what we are doing, we can then teach
them both real, effective safety techniques.
Through a series of fun games in the form of cleverly disguised
repetition exercises, kids that do not know what its like to feel
confident down to their very core begin to experience the feelings
of it. While it is sad but true, there really are some children today
that do not regularly experience praise and positive reinforcement
enough to build confidence. We help them.

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For the child that already displays confidence, we simply build on


it. They begin to learn others see them in a good way and they will
begin to understand they can find people in the world to be around
like that by choice.
At the same time, we show Mom and Dad some of our skills so
they can reinforce these good feelings and nurture confidence at
home. From simple good feelings come the roots of real
confidence and this must take hold at home.
In the Appendix of this book weve outlined some of our fun
games we play in teaching kids safety. Flip over to check it out and
enjoy playing them with your child.

Serious Fun For Safer Kids


We take information, even on a subject as serious as child safety,
and make it fun to learn. Kids learn best when they have fun doing
so.
We teach in a way that makes each class fun for your child by
using language they use. We sequence information in ways we
know kids will absorb it and retain it.
We start by introducing concepts and certain terms in the first few
weeks to both parents and kids. We subtly weave these concepts
together with a series of fun exercises and exciting games that aid
and reinforce the learning process with kids.
While we teach the children themselves we work with the families
as a total unit. We have a secondary focus to make families and
everyone in it better by learning and practicing safety as a family.

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Chapter Summary

Our approach to child safety, our entire Keeping Kids Safe


program for that matter, is Simplicity By Design.

Simplicity creates magical results with kids in our classes.

We take complex subjects like child safety, psychology, teaching


techniques and parenting skills and blend them in such a way as to
create a seamless and easy program that kids can learn and use on
their own.

Real safety begins at home.

We involve parents in everything we teach.

Every single one of our classes ties into better parenting skills. and
your family.

Why? Because Keeping Kids Safe is our business.

Safety, even Keeping Kids Safe safety, depends on parents


teaching, nurturing, embracing and reinforcing our ideas and
techniques with their kids.

Our proven success formula to stop sexual predators cold is


simplicity itself, too. First, we teach kids to feel good about
themselves. Then, we teach parents how to build on this at home.
When they both understand what we are doing, we can then teach
them both real, effective safety techniques through a series of fun
games. Check out the Safety Games in the Appendix of this book.

We take information, even on a subject as serious as child safety,


and make it fun to learn.

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6
______________________________________________

ONLINE SEXUAL PREDATORS


______________________________________________

The 10 Secrets To Stopping Online


Predators Cold!
Ah! The Internet. The wonderful World Wide Web. A whole new
door of information and possibilities has opened in our lifetimes.
And, it is still in its infancy. It is expanding everyday. By the time
our children are grown, some estimates project the Internet will be
ten times larger and more expansive than it is today.
This highlights a macabre nightmare opening of a web based
Pandoras Box for any parent today. The Information Highway
is loaded with danger for kids, and kids of several age groups.
It is impossible to stop all the sexual predators online. Our
approach is to arm you with our best information so you can stay
one step ahead of these derelict individuals.

The Sly Disguises Of Online Sexual


Predators
First, it is important to understand just how the Internet is used by
predators. They use it to troll for unsuspecting children in a
number of ways. Some predators like to befriend a child first.
Often, this process involves lots of attention, kindness and even

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gifts offered by the predator to the child. This type of sexual


predator is very, very patient and will take the time to allow the
trap to develop over time. The process will also slowly introduce
sexual context and content into conversations and communications.
Some predators immediately engage in sexually explicit
conversations with children. Still others collect and trade childpornographic images, while others seek real face to face meetings
with kids. Regardless of the approach, it is important to know that
the FBI states that there is no one profile for an online sexual
predator. They can be any age or sex. There is no one profile.
Teenagers are particularly targeted because of their natural
curiosity in sex due to their growing sexual nature. Online sexual
predators exploit this.
Second, the ease of access to the Internet attracts predators, too.
Cars, gasoline, security cameras and witnesses are just some of the
things that predators eliminate in their stalking of victims.
Third, the Internet affords a layer of anonymity that offline or
direct sexual predators do not have. Anyone online can easily hide
behind a user name and prowl websites and social networks with a
free email account.

The Warning Signs You Must Know


That Your Child Is In Danger
From An Online Predator
One of the warning signs your child may be in the throes of being
victimized online is that they may become withdrawn from the
family. Online predators will work very hard at driving a wedge
between a child and their family. One way they do this is by
accentuating any minor problems at home that your child might

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have. The predator poses as an understanding friend and drives a


wedge into the family structure.
The number one warning sign that your child might be involved
with an online predator is with your child withdrawing from the
family. It is not always the reason children withdraw but it can be
an indication of contact with sexual predators.
Some other warning signs would be if your child displays anxious
behavior about going to a particular place or seeing a person. Your
child may suddenly have behavior problems such as
aggressiveness or extreme mood swings such as brooding, crying
or fearfulness. Their grades may take a nosedive precipitously.

The Dangers Of Social Networks


And Blogs
We all have seen the headlines in the news. Predators have met
victims who met on Social Networks or Blogs such as MySpace,
Friendster, Xanga, and Facebook. These sites are where people can
meet, communicate, and interact with each other online.
They are very popular and memberships are exploding in growth.
Anyone who can get online can join and start interacting with each
other immediately. CNN reports the number of visitors to
MySpace went from 4.9 million in 2005 to currently over 67
million in 2006. A report from October 2006 had it at 243%
growth. Recent reports in 2007 show similar gains in visitors.
Its not just MySpace. Social networking sites are popping up
weekly fueled by the speculation of their market value to
advertisers.

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We do want to state that most activity within these networks and


blogs is legal and positive. The best way to insure safety for your
child, if they visit these sites, is a few simple rules set up by you,
Mom and Dad.
First, many kids are not aware they are putting themselves in
danger by giving out too much personal information and
communicating with people they've only met online. These
problems get larger because most kids, especially teenagers, do not
inform their parents of online incidents.

The 10 Secrets For Internet Safety


Today
Why would you, Mom and Dad, be the starting point of a safety
program that helps you keep your kids safe from sexual predators?
It is because you, as a parent, are integral in keeping your kids
safe. Not only that, you are the centerpiece in teaching them to
keep themselves safe.
Secret #1: Know The Websites Your Child Visits
Youre in charge, Mom and Dad. Monitor your child when they
are online. Sit with
them while they surf and play. If you do not sit with them while
they are online and your child is pre-teen, consider installing
available filters that let you control the sites they can visit. It is not
about mistrust, its about knowledge. Preteens can accidentally
visit a porn site where cookies are surreptitiously deposited on
your computer. This typically opens the door for SPAM and more
unwanted intrusions into your life.
Secret #2: Set Up Rules For Your Child Online

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Decide on the time of day, length of time and websites that your
child can visit.
Secret #3: Teach Your Child Not To Give Out Any Personal
Information Online
Teach your child to treat online contacts just like the strangers
they are. Personal information is none of their business! This
includes telephone number, address, parents
work address and telephone number and the name and location of
schools.
Secret #4: Make An Agreement With Your Child That They
Will Come To You If They Come Across Anything Online
That Makes Them Uncomfortable
With this agreement you must make sure you stay calm, open and
listen without judgment when they come to you. This goes back to
trust and listening skills and
cannot be emphasized enough as important in your childs safety.
This also goes back to strong families. Your child must feel
comfortable and confident in being able to come to you with
anything.
Secret #5: Do Not Allow Your Child To Agree To Meet Anyone
In Person They Met Online
If your child wants to meet someone, make sure you go with them
and you set up the meeting in a public place. Make sure you view
all correspondence that your child has created prior to agreeing to
this type of meeting.
Secret #6: Never let Your Child Upload A Picture Of
Themselves to the Internet
There is no reason today for a picture of your child to be posted on
the web for any reason without your permission. This way, they do
not have the ability to send it to

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anyone. If there really is a need for a photo online of your child,


make sure you review the reasons why and carefully weigh the
options.
Secret #7: Teach Your Child To Ignore Any Email Messages
That are Uncomfortable To Read Or Mean In Spirit
CyberBullying is a problem as well as sexually explicit material.
Both have negative consequences for your child and need to be
ignored and filtered.
Secret #8: Teach Your Child Never To Give Out Their
Password To Anyone
Emphasize with your child that this means their best friends, too.
Parents are the only ones that should know their childs passwords.
Make sure you have them written down somewhere.
Secret #9: Never Let Your Child Download Software Without
Your Permission
Make sure nothing gets put onto your computer unless you know
about it. This includes games, programs and other materials that
could include hidden items that jeopardize your familys privacy.
Secret #10: Take Immediate Action If You Suspect Your Child
Has Been Contacted by A Sexual Predator
Take immediate action. Never sit around to wait to see if a
situation is threatening or will develop. There are several good
cyber reporting agencies that can help you. See the Appendix in
this book for help.

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Chapter Summary.

It is impossible to stop all the sexual predators online. Our


approach is to arm you with our best information so you can stay
one step ahead of these derelict individuals.

It is important to understand just how the Internet is used by


predators.

One of the warning signs your child may be in the throes of being
victimized online is that they may become withdrawn from the
family.

Online predators will work very hard at driving a wedge between a


child and their family.

Some other warning signs would be if your child displays anxious


behavior about going to a particular place or seeing a person.

Your child may suddenly have behavior problems such as


aggressiveness or extreme mood swings such as brooding, crying
or fearfulness. Their grades may take a nosedive precipitously.

Many kids are not aware they are putting themselves in danger by
giving out too much personal information and communicating with
people they've only met online.

The 10 Secrets To Internet Safety

Secret #1: Know The Websites Your Child Visits

Secret #2: Set Up Rules For Your Child Online

Secret #3: Teach Your Child Not To Give Out Any Personal
Information Online

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Secret #4: Make An Agreement With Your Child That They Will
Come To You If They Come Across Anything Online That Makes
Them Uncomfortable

Secret #5: Do Not Allow Your Child To Agree To Meet Anyone In


Person They Met Online

Secret #6: Never let Your Child Upload A Picture Of Themselves


to the Internet

Secret #7: Teach Your Child To Ignore Any Email Messages That
are Uncomfortable To Read Or Mean In Spirit

Secret #8: Teach Your Child Never To Give Out Their Password
To Anyone

Secret #9: Never Let Your Child Download Software Without


Your Permission

Secret #10: Take Immediate Action If You Suspect Your Child Has Been
Contacted by A Sexual Predator

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7
______________________________________________

OFFLINE OR DIRECT CONTACT


SEXUAL PREDATORS
______________________________________________

Threats In Our Very Neighborhoods


When your child goes out of your home they are in the realm of
offline or direct sexual predators. In your neighborhood, at your
parks, on your streets and outside the fences of your schools, direct
sexual predators are surreptitiously hunting for children. You can
choose to spend every second supervising your child between birth
and high school. How practical is that? How much does that
instill in your child personal responsibility and growth? There is a
better way.
These predators are hard to spot because they look like normal
individuals. Your child can encounter threatening situations simply
by playing in your yard with you in the house. The best way to
protect your child is to teach them how to be able to keep
themselves safe.
Step one is for your child to be able to know how to deal with
strangers and how to deal effectively with them when approached
by one. Your child must be able to respond and stay away from
developing dangerous situations as well as getting out of one if
caught in it. They must also be able to stay calm, focus and apply
any number of safety techniques if a situation rapidly gets out of
control.

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We have Five Secrets for playing outside that you can teach your
child. They can use them immediately and be a little safer when
you are not around. They apply to any outdoor situation including
times, like at the park, when you are close but not directly next to
your child.

The 5 Secrets For Playing Safely


Outside
Secret #1: Teach Your Child To Pay Attention To Things That
Seem Out Of Place
Teach your child to be on the look out for things that occur that are
out of the ordinary. Tell them it is OK for them to come tell you
when they see something different. Say it and mean it. It does not
matter what it is, just get them in the bait of telling you about
things they see that just dont seem normal to them.
Things out of the ordinary are things like people moving through
your neighborhood that are not normally there, cars moving much
more slowly up and down your street than usual, vehicles
repeatedly driving up and down your street or an unrecognizable
ice cream truck appearing out of nowhere one afternoon.
Secret #2: Teach Your Child How To Sit Properly When
Playing
Sitting properly means your child has their back is straight, head
high and shoulders straight even when they are looking around or
down. Show your child how to sit and play with their legs crossed
and back straight. Sitting on their knees or with them bent to the
side is also very effective for quick movement as long as their back
is straight.

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This sitting posture allows your child the ability to spot things out
of the ordinary and gives them an advantage if they need to stand
up quickly.
Teach your child this new sitting posture with a series of really fun
games. Call them silly titles like the Super Hero Sitting Game or
the Who Can Sit The Longest Game or even I Can Sit Taller
Than You Game. Whatever you call it, make it exciting for your
child so you have and can hold their attention.
Start by having them sit on the floor and remind them Back
Straight! and Head Up! Have them move around and do
different things while on the floor. At random intervals call out
Power Seat! and have them quickly move back into the starting
position with back straight and head up. Correct any slouching
with Back Straight! and Head Up!
Let the giggles roll as you play this game. Gently correct bad
postures with positive words and guidance. Play the games with
15 to 20 second sitting intervals at a time and increase it as your
child learns to be more comfortable in this sitting posture. Be
creative in the game and add your own ideas.
Secret #3: Teach Your Child To Get To Their Feet Quickly
And Tell You About Things That Are Not Normal
In a potential threatening situation a child needs to be able to get
up fast and move quickly yet steadily. We teach kids to move fast
and we teach them to do it under control. It starts with being able
to get up properly off the ground. With good focus skills they can
learn to do this easily and will be able to do it with a great deal of
calm control.
The way most kids get up opens them up for being blindsided in an
attack or abduction. Just watch your kids when they are watching
TV. When they get up they usually stick their bum in the air first,
put their hands on the ground and point their head down as they

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push themselves up with their arms. This method affords your


child absolutely no protection or ability to see anything or anyone.
Teach them how to stand up so they can keep their heads up and
eyes alert and up. This means they stand up without bending over
and without placing their hands on the ground. They can do this by
raising up to their knees first with head and shoulders straight, then
placing a knee out at ninety degrees to their torso and then rotating
up using the hips to a full standing position.
The end result is a child upright and alert with head up, shoulders
back and ready to move quickly if required.
Again, teaching this technique to kids is done best with a fun
game. Come up with a great name like The Stand In A Flash
Game and offer a win reward at the end for your child when
they move in a flash.
Even better, you can tie this game to the Sitting Game in the
prior Secret. Have them sit properly with back straight and head
up, then have them jump up in a flash.
The fun can really roll and the learning take hold when your child
jumps up fast, moves around, then sits down quickly and correctly.
Make sure each time you play this game you offer a little more of a
challenge or contest, possibly reward, as they increase their skills.
Secret #4: Teach Your Child To Look People, Especially
Adults, Directly In The Eyes
Teach your child to look at people directly in the eyes, especially
adults. Kids need to learn to look adults directly in the eyes. Very
few children look adults right in the eyes when they are talking to
them. Kids are naturally intimidated by adults because we are
bigger and stronger than they are. It is just a natural thing, but you
can teach your child to have the confidence to look anyone in the
eyes.

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Looking someone in the eyes does many things for a child. One, it
projects confidence that anyone approaching the child can see.
Two, it allows the child some time to assess the intentions of the
approaching individual. Three, a small child squarely and
confidently looking at an approaching stranger in the eyes, can
give the child an extra split second advantage in fleeing a
dangerous situation if that stranger is taken by surprise with the
intense gaze of that small child.
Secret #5: Teach Your Child To Listen To Their Instincts
Another tool your childs safety arsenal is teaching them that they
have two brains, the one in their head and one in their belly. We
call the one in the belly the Belly Brain. Adults know this as
their gut instinct.
Kids need to learn to listen to their Belly Brain. It is rarely, if ever,
wrong. Kids have this gut feeling too, but they need some help in
learning how to listen to it and use it to keep themselves safe.
Teach your child that the Belly Brain works for them. Teach them
how to listen to it. Help your child to distinguish between their
Head Brain and their Belly Brain.
In our classes we show the kids how their Head Brain can
sometimes trick them. We use imagination and storytelling
techniques that enable the children to build up a great, exciting tale
about a shadow they saw dance across a wall. Its the same when
kids think monsters are in their bedroom closet or under the bed.
We show them how their Head Brain makes these stories up.
Reinforce the Belly Brain as the alarm clock for potentially
dangerous situations. Teach your child to trust and always listen to
it at all times. You can show your kids how to recognize the
uneasiness in their stomach without panic, alarm and worry. When
kids tune into their Belly Brain they are more tuned in detecting

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uncomfortable situations, situations with questionable adults and


inappropriate behavior.
Kids naturally feel uncomfortable with inappropriate questions and
behaviors they are around. We simply show them how to be alert
to it with their Belly Brain.

Security In Neighborhood
Safety Clubs
Our goal is to help you thwart sexual predators that prowl your
neighborhood. One way is to set up alternate safe areas with
your trusted neighbors. Some of our Keeping Kids Safe families
have set up their own neighborhood safety clubs just for this
purpose.
Give your children more than one safe haven if outside when a
predator shows up. Not only should your child look for you first,
they should have an alternate place to go in the event their path to
you is cut off by the predator.
Set up procedures to alert you if they wind up in their alternate
place. Whether you live in an apartment, condominium or
neighborhood with single family homes, set up a safety option with
your child.
Walk them through the alternate areas. Show them who to seek
out and what to do once they get there. Set up your own club to
help stop predators cold.

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Chapter Summary

Teach your child to be able to deal with strangers and how to deal
effectively with them when approached by one.

Your child must be able to respond and stay away from developing
dangerous situations as well as getting out of one if caught in it.

They must also be able to stay calm, focus and apply any number
of safety techniques if a situation rapidly gets out of control.

We have Five Secrets for playing outside that you can teach your
child:

Secret #1: Teach Your Child To Pay Attention To Things That


Seem Out Of Place

Secret #2: Teach Your Child How To Sit Properly When Playing

Secret #3: Teach Your Child To Get To Their Feet Quickly And
Tell You About Things That Are Not Normal

Secret #4: Teach Your Child To Look People, Especially Adults,


Directly In The Eyes

Secret #5: Teach Your Child To Listen To Their Instincts

Give your children more than one safe haven if outside when a
predator shows up.

Set up procedures to alert you if they wind up in their alternate place.

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8
______________________________________________

TOTAL SAFETY
______________________________________________

The Amazing Secrets To Keeping Kids


Safe
We want to give you a complete picture of our Keeping Kids Safe
program. There are a lot of ideas and safety techniques presented
in this book. Now we will show you how we use it ourselves, step
by step, in our 10 week classroom course.
Since our program is about kids and their ability to keep
themselves safe, our focus is on each child that comes through the
door of our classroom.
From the time they step through that door, we call every child a
Super Hero. We use this tag over 10 weeks with great emphasis.
It helps us get the results we need. It is a teaching tool.
Why?
Super Heroes, for both boys and girls are still fun. Fun gets kids
attention. Super Heroes are cartoon characters that can do and be
anything. Whether it is Superman or Wonder Woman, Luke
Skywalker, Ariel, or Snow White, these characters perform
magical feats that kids can relate to and understand. This analogy
is the key in having the kids in our classes think they can do
everything we teach them. So they become Super Heroes.

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Using Super Heroes as examples is an attention getting gimmick


that gets us the results we want in teaching kids to keep themselves
safe. It is not rocket science but it is smart, effective teaching. We
capitalize and constantly emphasize the Super Hero traits we want
kids to learn: feeling strong, feeling confident, moving in a flash,
using a power voice and super vision along with super mental
focus skills.
Not only do we introduce Super Heroes, we continue each week
building on those special Super Hero super traits. Without the kids
knowing it, we are quietly arming them with personal safety
arsenal of techniques. Then, in the final weeks we pull it all
together for the kids and their parents with comprehensive
exercises and play acting. We call them Super Hero Games.
So, what do we teach the kids and how does this work? We teach
the kids to move fast and we teach them to do it under control. In
a potential threatening situation a child needs to be able to move
quickly yet steadily.
We also show them how to Sit Like A Super Hero. This means
sitting down with legs crossed, hands on their knees, back straight,
head high, shoulder square and eyes forward.
Then we show them how to Stand Like A Super Hero. This
means to stand up without bending over and without placing their
hands on the ground. The idea is to stand up with the head up and
eyes forward. They do this by placing a knee out at ninety degrees
and then rotating up using the hips. The end result is a child
upright and alert with head up, shoulders back and ready to move
again quickly if required.
Now, for the games! True learning comes with repetition.
Repetition for kids is boring so we make repetitive actions into
games they can play. We have lots of fun and laughter playing the
Up And Down Game. It reinforces quick, correct movement and

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mental focus with a series of commands of Everybody Up! and


Everybody Down! A contest or two to see who is the fastest
adds to the fun and excitement of the game.
When in a potentially dangerous situation, and your child may be
caught unaware, they need to be able to move quickly while they
keep an eye on the developing situation. If a sexual predator
approaches them, your child needs to get up quickly, keep an eye
on the approaching individual and leave the area fast and safely.

The Power Of Focus


Teaching kids to move quickly, yet in a fun manner, will teach
them to be safer. It also leads into the next safety technique. After
a few practice sessions in moving like a Super Hero the children in
our classes are ready to learn how to sharpen their mental focus
skills to a higher degree.
We teach children as young as four to mentally focus and
concentrate. This is paramount in teaching your child to keep
themselves safe. The fact is, if your child cannot focus, they will
never be able to keep themselves safe. It is so critical and
important to child safety we call it the Power Of Focus.
Whenever a threatening situation is developing your child needs to
be able to spot it. When they spot it they must focus on it to see
the danger and get away from it before it develops and engulfs
them. So, we teach the children in our classes to focus. If a child
needs to learn this skill, we teach them If a child already has this
skill, we improve it.
We start with our command of Sit Like A Super Hero! And
reinforce Back straight! then, Eyes Forward! We ask the
kids to pick one spot in front of them and look only at that one

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spot. Starting with 15 to 20 seconds at a time we do this as a game


and watch for wandering eyes. We correct them with, Eyes
Forward! Focus!
The fun really starts as we have the kids jump up like a Super
Hero, move around, then Sit Like A Super Hero! with a
following command of Focus! Each time they sit, the following
focusing exercise becomes a little longer. Over time, most kids can
sit for one to two minutes or more and focus at will. They can turn
it on and off at their choosing.
When they really get good with this we offer a little game, a
challenge and contest to see who can sit and focus the longest.
Again, we must constantly play games and have fun as we build
skills and better mental focus.
Mental focus, what we call the Power Of Focus, is built, practiced
and reinforced in every class in some fashion because of the
critical nature of it in real child safety.
It is worth saying again:
A CHILDS ABILITY TO ASSESS A POTENTIAL
DANGEROUS SITUATION DEVELOPING OR ONE THEY
MUST GET AWAY FROM DEPENDS ON THEIR ABILITY
TO MENTALLY FOCUS

The Secret To A Better Family


Better mental focus in a child is also one of the huge benefits of
our Keeping Kids Safe program that translates directly to better
families.

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When your child can focus better you can talk or communicate
with them more easily and get better results from them. Better
focus means they will look at you when you speak to them and
respond to you more quickly and easily.
Its True! Try it. We actually do these exercises in class to show
both parents and children how it works. One, it reinforces our
safety lessons and two, it does make family life better.
Do this:
1. Have the child sit Like A Super Hero
Back straight
Legs crossed
Hands on knees
Eyes forward
2. Get down on the floor and look into their eyes
Ask them to look directly at you
3. Ask your child clearly, calmly and succinctly to do what
you want them to do
For example, pick up their shoes in the middle of
the floor and place them neatly by the door
The results speak for themselves. Whether its cleaning
their room, picking up their shoes or sitting at the dinner
table, we get parents into the habit of talking to their kids
on important matters in this manner.

Penetrating Laser Eyes

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Very few children look people in the eyes, especially people they
are talking to. Very few kids look adults right in the eyes for any
reason. Kids are naturally intimidated by larger, older adults.
We teach kids in our classes to look anyone they talk to, even
adults, right in the eyes. It is a skill kids need to learn. When we
teach them this skill we call it using Super Hero Laser Eyes.
This skill also helps enhance mental focus in children. When a
child is confronted with danger from another individual, they need
to be able to look that person in the eyes when they respond.
Looking someone in the eyes does many things for a child. One, it
projects confidence that anyone approaching the child can see.
Two, it allows the child to clearly assess the intentions of the
approaching individual. Three, it gives your child the ability to
figure out a safe route out. Four, in some cases a small child
squarely and confidently looking at an approaching stranger in the
eyes can give the child an extra split second advantage in fleeing a
dangerous situation when that stranger is taken by surprise with the
intense gaze of that small child.

Super Hero Power Voice


Another technique we layer into our safety techniques is a Super
Hero Power Voice. This teaches a child to use a strong voice that
comes from the abdomen, not the throat. Each child is capable of
this type of voice although they may not have ever used it or know
they even have it.
When kids yell, and most adults too, they yell from their throat.
The Super Hero Power Voice is a yell from their belly.

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Put your hand on your abdomen and push out with your stomach
muscles. Do it again and huff out a breath with it. Do it one more
time and this time push out your breath and make a sound with it.
It sounds like a deep Huh! More importantly, it comes out with
a measure of strength and power. This is the kids Super Hero
Power Voice.
We practice this by telling the children to, Bounce Your Voice off
The Walls! Again, it comes from the abdomen, not the throat and
when done correctly the difference is astonishing. Kids will need
to learn this voice if they ever need to use it. It will get peoples
attention when it is used.

Super Hero Belly Brains


We teach kids they have two brains, the one in their head and one
in their belly. We call the one in the belly the Super Hero Belly
Brain.
Kids know how to listen to their Head Brain. They do it everyday,
all the time. We teach kids the differences between their two brains
and how to listen to their Belly Brain. We teach them their Belly
Brain is always right.
For adults, a Belly Brain is that visceral, gut feeling that is always
right. Kids have this gut feeling too, but they need some help in
learning how to listen to it and use it to keep themselves safe.
We simply show kids how their Belly Brain works. We show them
it is always right and always works positively for them. We teach
them to pay attention to it and how to listen to it. More
importantly, we show them that listening to it is OK, as well.

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In doing this we have to show the kids how their Head Brain can
sometimes trick them. We do this by using imagination and
storytelling techniques that enable the children to build up a great,
exciting tale about a shadow they saw dance across a wall.
Its the same when kids think monsters that are in their bedroom
closet or under the bed. We show them how their Head Brain
makes these stories up.
We then reinforce the Belly Brain as the alarm clock for
potentially dangerous situations. We teach the kids to recognize the
uneasiness in their stomach without panic, alarm and worry. We
teach them to see potential danger calmly and avoid it with any
number of ways we teach.
When kids tune into their Belly Brain they are more tuned in
detecting uncomfortable situations, situations with questionable
adults and inappropriate behavior. Kids naturally feel
uncomfortable with inappropriate questions and behaviors they are
around. We simply show them how to be alert to it with their
Super Hero Belly Brain.
The kids learn not only to listen to their Belly Brain but to also go
tell Mom and Dad about how they feel and who they were with
when they tune into it.

The Best Circle Of Safety


Now that many of the kids are armed with a lot of the Super Hero
traits we want them to have, like confidence, focus, quick
movement and two brains, we subtly begin to weave them into
actual situations where kids can use them to keep themselves safe.

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At this point we can start to teach actual safety techniques. A good


technique to start with is what to do with approaching strangers.
When a stranger approaches, any stranger by our Keeping Kids
Safe definition, we teach the kids to use a Circle Of Safety.
A Circle of Safety in a child safety program is not a new idea.
Many programs teach this technique. They teach a Circle of Safety
of about 8 to 10 circling a child in the middle of it. The child
does not allow anyone to enter the circle without them turning and
running to safety.
The Circle of Safety is a pretty easy idea to teach kids, too. This
basic Circle Of Safety is a good idea in theory. It is true as long as
no one moves.
This is the problem with most child safety programs that teach a
Circle of Safety. In situations where kids are grabbed by
predators, no one is standing still. At Keeping Kids Safe we take
the idea of the Circle of Safety one giant step further. We teach a
15 to 20 Circle Of Safety.
Why? Its pretty simple: the standard 8 to 10 Circle Of Safety
does not work if an adult blitzes in full speed to grab a kid. Kids
need time to react and run at kid speed and still stay ahead of a
running adult. The 8 to 10 circle does not give them enough
reaction time.
We practice a Circle Of Safety with adults charging at the kids.
What we find is the larger circle provides enough distance for even
the smallest child to recognize what is happening, turn and run,
and evade the grasp of a charging adult.
Kids need all the extra help they can when threatened and this
larger circle gives them that extra bit.

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Where does the child run? We teach them to run and look for
someone they can trust:

A parent
An adult they know
A police officer
A firefighter
A Mom with children

If the child is in a store or public place and is lost, we teach them


to look for a woman with children, a Mom, for help. Chances are
women with children are Moms and will more often help a child
lost or in danger than other individuals.
When a child learns what a Circle Of Safety is, we teach them how
to use it. How to use a Circle of Safety is just as important as
knowing what it is. Kids at Keeping Kids Safe use a Circle of
Safety to their advantage with their power voice and a simple
command:
STOP! IM NOT SUPPOSE TO GET CLOSE TO
STRANGERS!
A Circle of Safety by itself is a good thing to teach children. To
start, a child needs to see a stranger approaching them. Remember,
a stranger is simply someone the child does not know very well.
Good or Bad is irrelevant. A stranger, all strangers are dealt
with in one, simple, easy way with Keeping Kids Safe.
As a stranger gets to the edge of their Circle Of Safety, we teach
kids to raise their hand in a halt gesture and in their Super Hero
Voice say, STOP!
The adult or approaching stranger will usually stop and ask,
Why?

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The child then says, Im not allowed to get close to strangers,


again in their strong Super Hero Voice.
If the stranger continues toward the child, they have learned to turn
and run away to someone for help.
If the stranger simply has a question like, Im looking for the
hospital they can still ask the child from a distance. The 15 to 20
Circle Of Safety allows for normal conversation.
Good strangers can also recognize what the child is doing and
move away, again as most responsible people will do, when this
happens.
Kids are taught in Keeping Kids Safe to never let ANY
STRANGER in their Circle of Safety. If it happens then we teach
them to turn and run. A stranger, any stranger, is to be dealt with
in this straight forward, simple manner, by kids.
When a child turns and runs from their Circle Of Safety they need
to get the attention of someone that will help them immediately.
We teach them to yell FIRE! whenever they get into trouble.
Fire?! Yes, FIRE! for many reasons.
One, kids are always yelling when they play. One of their favorite
things to yell when playing is Help!
They also tend to yell Help! in very high pitched, throaty voices.
Adults and other family members quickly learn to ignore these
yells of Help!
If a child yells Help! and really means it, chances are they will
be ignored. They will not get the help they need when they need it.

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We teach kids to yell, FIRE! when they are in need of real help.
The word Fire! gets anyones attention immediately. Even if it
is yelled in a high pitched throaty voice it will get peoples
attention.
The ideas behind these simple yet effective techniques to have one,
simple rule kids, even the youngest kids, can do. That, is, kids are
to keep a Circle Of Safety around themselves with any stranger.
When a bad stranger invades the Circle Of Safety, a child is to turn
and run while they yell FIRE! for help.

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Chapter Summary

From the time they step through that door, we call every child a
Super Hero. It is a teaching tool.

Using Super Heroes as examples is an attention getting gimmick


that gets us the results we want in teaching kids to keep themselves
safe.

We teach kids how to Sit Like A Super Hero.

We teach kids how to Stand Like A Super Hero.

We teach kids how to use a Super Hero Power Voice.

We teach kids to listen to their Super Hero Belly Brain.

We teach kids how to use an expanded Circle Of Safety.

We teach kids how to yell Fire! when they are in trouble.

We teach kids how to deal with strangers, any stranger, for total
safety.

We play games with the kids in our classes to reinforce the safety
techniques we teach them.

When in a potentially dangerous situation, and your child may be


caught unaware, they need to be able to move quickly while they
keep an eye on the developing situation. If a sexual predator
approaches them, your child needs to get up quickly, keep an eye
on the approaching individual and leave the area fast and safely.

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A childs ability to assess a potential dangerous situation


developing or one they must get away from depends on their
ability to mentally focus.

Better mental focus in a child is also one of the huge benefits of


our Keeping Kids Safe program that translates directly to better
families.

If the child is in a store or public place and is lost, we teach them


to look for a woman with children, a Mom, for help.

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9
______________________________________________

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER


______________________________________________

More Secrets To Keeping Kids Safe


What does teaching all these Super Hero traits to children mean? It
means safer kids.
Here is how we put it all together at Keeping Kids Safe. Here is a
quick summary of our philosophy, approach and techniques for
kids being able to keep themselves safe.
First, your child should be able to be less of a target for predators
and bullies by walking around looking more confident and happy,
even when they dont necessarily feel that way.
With their shoulders back, head high and eyes alert to the
environment around them, they do not make themselves appear to
be an easy target when you are not around.
This means your child is becoming a Super Hero.
What happens if your child is sitting down, playing in a sand box
at the playground and a bad stranger rapidly approaches them? It
means your child can see them coming and get up quickly while
keeping their eyes on the person.
This means your child is sitting like a Super Hero.

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If you child is walking home from school with their head held high
and tuned into their environment with sharp mental focus they
should be able to see a potentially dangerous situation and avoid it.
This means your child is using Super Hero Eyes and Mentally
Focusing.
If your child cannot consciously understand what is wrong but
feels uneasy around a certain adult, they can leave the area and tell
you about it. They are listening to their Belly Brains and following
their natural instincts to safety.
If a stranger approaches your child they engage a Circle Of
Safety.
If a stranger gets too close to that Circle of Safety they command
STOP! Im not suppose to get close to Strangers! in their best
voice from the abdomen.
If a child needs to turn and run and yell FIRE! with that
abdominal voice they can get help quickly as they will be noticed.
This means your child is using their Super Hero Voice.
Mental focus, staying calm yet moving quickly to avoid a running
stranger is all about what we teach at Keeping Kids Safe.
It means you child knows to find a police officer, fire fighter or
Mother with other children if they ever get separated from you in a
shopping mall or store.
It means that in many situations your child will be calm, in control
and able to make good, solid choices for themselves quickly in
order to get safe and stay safe.

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It means, that while you are a parent that will always worry and
care about your child, you will be able to worry just a little bit less
than you did the day before.

More Secrets To Keep Your Kids Safe


What we have shared in this book is just a part of what we teach at
Keeping Kids Safe. These are the basics of our philosophy and
actual safety techniques.
Anyone at home committed to keeping their kids safe and being
the best they can be can learn them and apply them.
In our classes we go further and add a few more techniques and
things for kids to learn, especially in the horrible event they are
grabbed by a bad stranger.
At Keeping Kids Safe we have developed 9 Easy GETAWAYS
that allow any child, your child, to be able to escape the grasp of
any adult.
Here, we can describe them and give you an awareness of the tools
which we can teach kids in order for them to keep themselves safe.
These 9 Easy GETAWAYS are effective, even for very small and
very young children. They are effective because the children
learned how to focus, stay calm, and move quickly and in a
controlled manner.
Children as young as four years old can implement them and use
them effectively against larger, stronger adults. Yes, children are
able to learn easily and remember all nine of the techniques.

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Each of the 9 Easy GETAWAYS is based upon principles of


leverage, martial arts and training we have learned and tested over
thirty years.
We have a Super Hero Voice yell that we teach the kids to use
whenever they are grabbed. This yell mentally and physically
prepares the child for the 9 Easy GETAWAYS technique in
addition to drawing immediate attention and help to them.
When a child is grabbed we teach them to yell:

FIRE! FIRE! HES NOT MY DAD!

The child looks directly into the grabbers eyes and points at them
with their free hand while yelling.
The yell changes based upon who is grabbing. For an adult
woman:
FIRE! FIRE! SHES NOT MY MOM!
For a teenage boy:
FIRE! FIRE! HES NOT MY BROTHER!
For a teenage girl:
FIRE! FIRE! SHES NOT MY SISTER!
There are very real reasons for this scenario and specific
techniques.
First, this type of yell, looking and pointing technique is different
from when Mom or Dad take a child home. We all have seen a
child scream and cry when Mom or Dad have cut their play time
off at the park. When its time to go home a lot of kids will throw
tantrums or fuss.

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Fussing or tantrums do not look like FIRE! FIRE! HES NOT


MY DAD! Fussing or tantrums do not have abdominal yells,
direct eye contact and pointing at anyone holding on to a child.
So, we make the yell different, noticeable and very effective.
Second, we teach the child to perform this yell sequence until they
get help. Its more than a one time thing. Its a continual sequence
of events and movements.
In the event the child is not helped or let go, we equip them to
escape and run for help with our 9 Easy GETAWAYS.

9 Easy Getaways
Here are the Keeping Kids Safe 9 Easy GETAWAYS. We teach
them to all our classes. They are effective and can be done by
even the smallest and youngest child of four.

Inside Up

Inside Down

Outside Up

Outside Down

Two Hand Grab

Thumb In The Front

Thumb In The Back

Neck Choke

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Pick Up

The 9 Easy GETAWAYS cover a complete range of possibilities


on how a child could be grabbed. They even cover being grabbed
by someone who sneaks up on the child.
Each technique is specific in its application. Each technique is
simple and easy for any child to remember and execute. In
teaching these in the classroom, we take great care in making sure
each child executes each technique correctly so they learn them in
their most effective manner.
We introduce these 9 Easy GETAWAYS three at a time in our
classes. Some are similar in body position and application so
grouping them accelerates learning for the kids. Parents, and as
large as we can find, act as grabbers and each child learns to
execute each escape technique properly.
We encourage families to practice these 9 Easy GETAWAYS at
home. To reinforce this we give a small handout for parents to
place on their refrigerator doors that remind them of each 9 Easy
GETAWAYS. Once a child learns a 9 Easy GETAWAY these
small reminders help easily along with home practice sessions.

Inside Up
Clasp hands under chin elbows together spin

Inside Down
Hand in front of belly straight arm step up & zoom
away

Outside Up
Reach under the hand grab make a U

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Outside Down
Reach over the arm bend elbows bring hands to
shoulders

Two Hand Grab


Reach between the arms bend elbows bring hands to
shoulders

Thumb In The Front


BIG circle backwards over arm punch

Thumb In The Back


TWO BIG circles forward

Neck Choke
Lift arms straight over head place arms on ears spin

Pick Up
Wiggle the hips

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Chapter Summary

Teach your child to project and be confident.

Teach your child to move quickly and steadily.

Teach your child to stand up with their head up, eyes alert
and back straight.

Teach your child to listen to their Belly Brain.

Teach your child to engage a Circle of Safety and


command STOP! Im not suppose to get close to
Strangers! if a stranger gets too close to them.

Teach your child to turn and run and yell FIRE! when a
bad stranger invades their Circle Of Safety.

Teach your child to find a police officer, fire fighter or


Mother with other children if they ever get separated from
you in a shopping mall or store.

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Keeping Kids Safe


9 Easy Getaways

Inside Up
Clasp hands under chin elbows together spin

Inside Down
Hand in front of belly straight arm step up & swing
away

Outside Up
Reach under the hand grab make a U

Outside Down
Reach over the arm bend elbows bring hands to
shoulders

Two Hand Grab


Reach over the arm bend elbows bring hands to
shoulders

Thumb In The Front


BIG circle backwards over arm punch

Thumb In The Back


TWO BIG circles forward

Neck Choke
Lift arms straight over head place arms on ears spin

Pick Up
Wiggle the hips

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10
______________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


______________________________________________

The Riches Of A Single Thought


A single thought is powerful. A single thought produces riches
beyond imagination. Keeping Kids Safe started with a single
thought.
Amazing things happen, riches for all, by following that single
thought with action. Keeping Kids Safe started over twenty years
ago on a single thought.
Preston Jones is the creator and developer of Keeping Kids Safe.
The program began as a labor of love intended to make a positive
difference in the lives of children and their families. It started by
agreeing to help a single family be safer following an idea, a single
thought.
Today, Keeping Kids Safe is a culmination of thirty years of
experience, expertise and constant dedication by Preston Jones. He
is continually evaluating and improving the program as the world
we live in changes. His ultimate goal is to offer every child the
opportunity to grow up feeling safe and secure and confident in
themselves.
Preston Jones honed his approach to child safety through a prolific
thirty year career focusing on personal safety for a variety of age
groups and organizations. From Keeping Kids Safe to police and

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security departments, his expertise has helped thousands learn to


keep themselves safe.
His devotion to the subject of child safety and kids being given the
chance to be the best they can be, stems from being a father of
daughters and a former police officer, Air Force veteran, Martial
Arts Fifth Degree Black Belt, and university student studying
psychology and parapsychology.
Preston started developing self-defense programs for the general
public in 1976. He developed his own ideas on childrens personal
safety and created programs from these ideas and his own personal
observations and experiments.
Eight years later, the power of a single thought, he agreed to
provide martial art and focus training to a family with a teenage
son who had a behavioral disorder. A single, rich thought, helped
Preston realized the need for a program on personal safety for kids.
The actual development of a safety program for elementary age
children followed which he constantly improved, evolved and
updated. Todays Keeping Kids Safe program is current, modern
and effective in todays world. It is state-of-the-art for kids
safety.
Prestons expertise goes further than this. In 1991, he was
approached by the City of Walnut Creek, California to begin an
adaptive martial arts program for children and adults with special
needs. In 1996 the position of program coordinator in the City of
Walnut Creeks Specialized Recreation Department became vacant
and he stepped in to fill it when asked to do so.
Since taking over the program, Preston, and the Department, has
received numerous awards from both the City of Walnut Creek and
the Developmental Disabilities Council of Contra Costa and
Alameda counties. The highly praised program continues today.

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Prestons programs and seminars are sought out by public and


private schools and agencies such as Boys and Girl Scouts of
America, Highlands Hospital in Oakland, CA, De Young Museum
in San Francisco, CA, and a variety of different security agencies
throughout the San Francisco bay area. His expertise extends to
include defensive tactics, baton training, handcuffing techniques,
and small arms firearm training, which he has presented to both
police officers and private security guards.
Joyce Jackson is also a part of Keeping Kids Safe.
She came across Preston Jones and Keeping Kids Safe when her
oldest son was 4 years old. As a parent, she constantly worried
about her childs safety in todays disturbing world. With a single
thought followed up with action, she enrolled her son in Keeping
Kids Safe.
Joyces personal evolution into an instrumental role with Keeping
Kids Safe, coupled with a tenacious persistence to keep as many
kids as possible safe and secure, has catapulted her into the
forefront of child safety with Preston.
Keeping Kids Safe continues to empower children to be the best
they can be. If kids can walk down the street with their shoulders
back, head held high, eyes bright and aware of the environment,
they are less of a target for predators.
Keeping Kids Safe is about safe kids and better families. Preston
and Joyce, along with their program, make a difference in peoples
lives. They do it in their unique approach that folds the parent into
the process of teaching their child to keep themselves safer.
It all started with Preston Jones. You can now be a welcomed
member of the Keeping Kids Safe family. It is timely, effective, so
simple and filled with common sense and here to help you and
your child.

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Preston and Joyce will help you to mentor to your kids. It will
enable you to keep them safer today than yesterday. By being a
Keeping Kids Safe family member and living the principles of
teaching your kids to keep themselves safe, you teach them safety
principles for a lifetime. The precept of Dont Give Them A Fish,
Teach Them How To Fish is what Keeping Kids Safe is all about.

Revealing The Secrets Behind The


Keeping Kids Safe Program
Keeping Kids Safe is about safe kids, safe families. It works best
and most effectively when parents embrace the concepts as an
adult and bring it to their entire family. In short, its a way of life.
For the last twenty years we have been developing and teaching
the Keeping Kids Safe program. We have found unequivocally
that if you focus on the kids, then focus on the parents, get them
both to buy into being the best human beings they can be, then and
only then can we teach them real, effective and life long safety
techniques. We know if we do not follow this sequence, the safety
of the child, by virtue of them being able to keep themselves safe,
is always in question.
Our program has got to be about kids being able to keep
themselves safe. Every child is safe when Mom or Dad is around.
It is all about kids who find themselves alone and without Mom
and Dad for any reason.
Our extensive backgrounds in psychology, personal safety, martial
arts and community based teaching programs has allowed us to
combine a number of areas of expertise into one very effective

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series of safety classes. We even have specialty safety classes that


cover a range of age groups.
While the main focus of what we do is for elementary age children,
we have programs that work with expectant Moms through toddler
age children, teen programs, and safety programs for college coeds. There is also a Special Needs Recreational program that is
very close to our hearts, too.
In Walnut Creek, California we home base with our basic series
of ten classes, once a week, throughout the year. Each class in the
series runs 45 minutes a session.
The basic course outline looks like this for the kids:

Introduction
2 Keeping Kids Safe Rules
Be Like A Super Hero
Be The Best You Can Be
Move Like A Super Hero
Fast and Quick
Stand and Sit With ZOOM!
Super Hero Focus Powers
Super Hero Laser Eyes
Super Hero Power Voice
Keeping Kids Safe 9 Easy Getaways

For the parents, our course covers:










Self Confidence
Mental Focus
Communication
Empowering Your Child
Power of Real Observation
Having Fun With Your Kid
Keeping Kids Safe 9 Easy Getaways

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Some of what we teach you may know. It is our approach to


safety that is unique. A lot of what we teach you may not know.
We will change that.
A good part of our philosophy of safety is controversial. To that
we say good! We want to work with parents and kids that
completely buy into our philosophy. We tell parents in the first
class that we are going to say things they may not agree with. We
are going to say things that will make them uncomfortable. We are
going to say things in which they may disagree with us.
Many parents in our classes like what they hear and some do not.
We are very clear and up front with our ideas on keeping kids safe.
If a parent is not committed 100% to our program it will not work
for them or their child. They are wasting their time.
The first thing we tell parents is that they are responsible for their
childs safety. We tell them real safety begins at home. We tell
them real safety is also reinforced at home by Mom and Dad. We
tell parents directly that they have to be the best they can be in
order to teach their kids to be the best they can be.
Talking to the parents is how we start but we relate directly to the
kids, too. For example, we make everything we teach exciting and
fun for the kids, even with a serious subject like safety.
Weve designed it that way. Its part of our Simplicity By
Design philosophy to safety. We know how to teach kids. We
teach in a way that makes each class fun for them in a number of
carefully crafted ways. One way is by using language they use.
We engage the children and let them tell us what they think about a
number of subjects we broach. In doing so we listen carefully to
their words. In responding we use the exact same words the
children use since they understand what those words mean. We
also use the words in the same manner the kids do. Using the same

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words in the same way enables us to connect with the kids almost
instantly.
We also sequence information in ways we know kids will absorb it
and retain it. We know how to teach kids so they learn effectively
and quickly.
We introduce certain concepts and terms in the first few weeks to
both parents and kids. We subtly weave concepts together with a
series of exercises and games that aid and reinforce the learning
process within the kids.
While we teach the children themselves we work with the families
as a total unit. Whatever we work on needs to be reinforced and
practiced at home. This includes the confidence building and
mental focus building techniques. This is why we say we have a
secondary focus that is to make families better by learning and
practicing safety together.
Kids need the security and companionship of a group, of a unit.
We believe this unit should be a family, a solid, positive, nurturing
family.
We simply accent the family for greater child safety.

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11
______________________________________________

APPENDIX
______________________________________________

Keeping Kids Safe Games To


Play At Home
This book is about HOW to protect your kids from sexual
predators. The easiest HOW is in playing games with your child
that subtly teaches them our safety techniques.
Games are the best way to teach your child real safety for a
lifetime because it teaches them in ways they can understand.
Games teach your child in a fun manner that is exciting.
Again, kids love games and more than that, they love to play them.
So, here are some of our ideas for great games at home with your
child that teaches them our safety techniques.
Basically, any game you play with your child that engages and
expands their awareness of their environment and focus abilities
will keep them safer when you are not around.
Remember, the secret to successfully engaging your child in any
game is:
1. Get their attention
a. No distractions
b. Eye contact
2. Get their buy-in to the game

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a. Engage them in conversation in their terms


3. Give them a win reward for playing it well
4. Make it fun and exciting
Also, have fun yourself with them and make up your own games.
Be creative and enjoy the time spent with your child.

Keeping Kids Safe Focus Games


The Shopping Game
In this game, give your child a fun place to go shopping, like the
toy store or pet shop. Give them a list of four or five thing they are
going to shop for and have them repeat the list back to you.
The key here is to have your child excited about where they get to
shop. Let them pick a place. Make it their choice. It immediately
gets them to buy into the game.
Second, make sure you have their complete attention. Keep the
duration of the games, short, fun and exciting. The game goes
something like this:
DAD: Mike, want to play a game?
MIKE: OK!
DAD: Lets play the shopping game. Where would you like to go?
MIKE: The toy store!

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DAD: Great! Now, Im going to give you a list of five things to get
at the toy store. Look right at your shoes. Ready?
MIKE: Yes!
DAD: Youre going to the toy store and youre going to get a ball,
toy truck, hula hoop, video game and a small stuffed dog.
DAD: Now, Mike, tell me what you are going to get.
MIKE: Uh.a ball, toy truck, a uhhula hoop, hmmm.
DAD: OK, now Mike. Look me right in the eyes. Youre going to
the toy store and youre going to get a blue bike, a doll, a toy
soldier, a ball and a green turtle. Now, look me in the eyes and tell
me what you are going to get.
MIKE: A blue bike, a doll, a toy soldier, a ball and a green turtle.
DAD: Great Job! Youre super!
Simple, but this game works time and again just like this scenario
above.
All of the games we suggest are similar in format. Get your childs
attention, get them to buy into the game, make it exciting, fun and
play!
The Grocery Store Game
This game can be played when you go to the grocery store with
your child. You can announce the game before heading into store
and have your child keep on the lookout for yellow vegetables,
boxes of cereal that are orange or green bottles of soda.

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You can also ask them afterwards what the checkout clerk looked
like. Tune into physical characteristics and clothing as you ask
your child questions.
At The Drive Thru Game
Quiz your child about what they saw when you went through the
Drive Thru at your favorite fast food restaurant.
The Gas Station Game
Play this game of observation with your child when you fill up
your car.
The Who Blinks First Game
This silly little game is one we all grew up playing but it teaches
focus powers exceptionally well. Play staring contests with your
child and challenge them to longer and longer periods of staring.
The Who Can Sit Still The Longest Game
This popular game is another we all grew up playing. You can do
this even during the commercial breaks of your childs favorite TV
shows.
The Stand Up! Sit Down! Game
This is a fun game that is popular at birthday parties for prizes but
you can do it any time with your child. Its especially effective if
you have more than one child and offer a win prize at the end.
The Changing Things Game
This fun game is played by having your child look around a
specific room, having them leave the room and rearranging a few
items in the room. Then call them back in the room and see what
has been moved.

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Safety For A Lifetime

Keeping Kids Safe


FREE Bi Monthly Ezine

One of the top Child Safety


Ezines on the Internet today!
http://KeepingKidsSafeToday.com

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