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One Mother's Story
We believe that with the right knowledge children can avoid up to 80% of the dangerous situations they may encounter-in particular, the lures used by Tricky People.
Parents also need this knowledge, because they can pass it on to their children and the children in their lives - possibly saving a child from the pain
of molestation or even saving his or her life.
The story of Jean and her husband, business owners in Arizona, beautifully illustrates how the power of children’s personal safety knowledge can help
a child have a safer childhood.
Jean and her family live in a small town in Arizona, which is considered safe by the residents. One day she and her husband, Charlie, were in their gift
shop when an "OK-looking" man came in. He made a few comments which struck Jean as a bit strange, and she was glad to see him leave. He then walked
across the street to the ice cream parlor. From her shop, Jean could see that he owner's 5-year-old daughter. The child’s mother was not in the shop. The man
stayed there, talking to the girl for over one hour.
The next day, while Jean, the little girl and her mother, were standing together and talking, the stranger approached the little girl and asked her if she had
listened to the tape he had given to her. After he left, Jean expressed her concern. However, the mother didn’t see any reason to make something out of
nothing. (A classic denial response!)
The third day, the stranger came back to Jean’s store. He talked on and on about the child to Jean. He seemed to have an unnatural fascination with the
little girl. Really worried now, Jean’s husband spoke to the little girl’s father. And once again the attitude was, "Let’s not make something out of nothing." But
because Jean and her husband had recently read Raising Safe Kids in an Unsafe World1, the parents’ handbook to children’s personal safety, they knew that
this man’s actions were typical of a child predator. The next day, Charlie saw the parlor just about the time that the little girl got off the school bus. Charlie decided
that he had had enough. He called the county sheriff and insisted that someone come out and see what this man was up to. The sheriff also recognized
that this was a potentially dangerous situation. He came out and talked with the little girl. He also detained the man while he checked his record. The
man had no previous convictions. So the sheriff’s solution was to have him leave town and never come back. The sheriff’s conclusion was that this situation
could easily have developed into a tragedy. It had many of the signs of child abduction and molestation, which authorities normally find after the fact.
Jean and Charlie felt that without a doubt the knowledge they had learned from Raising Safe Kids and the Yello Dyno music for children, Can’t Fool Me!,
had given them the correct sensitivity to the situation and the strength to take action. They really made a difference in the child’s life!
1Read our review of this book.
Copyright © Yello Dyno. Since 1987 Yello Dyno has helped more than 1 million children "walk tall" and "be smart" in today's exciting but increasingly dangerous world. The program provides educators, parents, and children with carefully designed educational and recovery tools. Through Yello Dyno, the children's safety champion, the program's unique entertainment-driven approach assures that personal safety for children is fun, non-fearful and empowering. Mention My ParenTime with any order and receive a discount! Reprinted with permission.
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