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Positively Speaking – Safety

May 3, 2008 by Kelly

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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Kelly Curtis - Professional speaker, writer and counselor*** Monthly Feature Column ***

Positively Speaking
Building Assets in your Kids

Safety
by Kelly Curtis, M.S. from Pass the Torch

Have you seen my book yet?

With warmer weather and longer days, come family fun and play, but also more opportunity for bumps and bruises, bike crashes and road worries. I devote an entire chapter of my book to the topic of safety, because empowerment is such a key component.

Research shows that the more Developmental Assets children have, the more likely they’ll resist risky behaviors in the future. And “safety” is one of the characteristics of healthy, caring, resilient kids. It falls within the Empowerment category and is defined for young children as: Parents, caregivers, teachers, neighbors and the community take action to ensure children’s health and safety.

May is National Youth Traffic Safety month, and although this may seem like a topic that only applies to parents of teens, it’s really not. Adults can more directly promote safety in younger children, than they can teenagers. Our challenge as parents is to establish safe habits with young children, while laying the groundwork for them to take ownership for their own safety as they grow.

Probably the most powerful way to encourage children to internalize values about safety is to model them yourself. It’s easy to forget, but we’ve already begun to teach our kids to drive, when they’re still in a car seat. My husband and I need to remind ourselves about this consistently. Here are a few questions we ask:

• Do I wear my helmet when I take the kids for a spin on the bikes?
• Do I look both ways before I cross the street?
• Do I wear my own seat belt when I get behind the wheel?
• Do I observe the speed limit?
• Do I pull over the car before taking a cell phone call?

The list can go on and on, but the concept remains the same. Our kids learn far more from what we show them, than from what we tell them.

What safety goals will you commit to model this month?

Thanks for joining in to build assets in your kids! I look forward to seeing you again next month for Positively Speaking.

Kelly Curtis is a Wisconsin school counselor and author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things. To read more about Kelly, please visit her Weblog, Pass the Torch.

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7 Comments

  1. MoneyMakingMama says

    May 9, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    Do as I do, not as I say … or vice versa .. you know what I mean …

    Happy Mother’s Day Everyone !!!

    MoneyMakingMama
    http://sevensenough.com/freedollars/

    Reply
  2. Kristen Andrews says

    May 4, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    great article! I have a 2.5 year old and he told me I need a helmet like his for my bike and you know what he is right! I will say he tells me he needs to put his seatbelt on when ever he gets into something w/ a buckle!

    Reply
  3. Morning Rose says

    May 3, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    Congrats on your book! After buying my bike last year, I also bought a bike helmet so when the boys and I take bike rides, we can do so safely.

    Reply
  4. Meg says

    May 3, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    Nothing irks me more than parents who say “do as I say, not as I do.” Thanks for the great article. I try to do these all the time….I did even before I had little ones buckled into their car seats in the back!

    Reply
  5. Jennifer, Snapshot says

    May 3, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    They are always learning from us, aren’t they?

    I still vividly remember biking with my dad and sort of making a rolling stop before pulling off into a busier street. I got into SO much trouble. He was concerned and wanted to be sure that I was taking the responsibility of bike riding seriously.

    Reply
  6. BlapherMJ says

    May 3, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    I totally agree, and have been put to the test by my kids making sure I take the same safety precautions I preach to them. It is definitely a “do as I do” thing! Love Pass the Torch!

    Reply

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