BOOK REVIEW: THE SAFE CHILD BOOK by Sherryll Kraizer, Ph.D.

Title: The Safe Child Book: A Commonsense Approach to Protecting Children and Teaching Children to Protect Themselves
Author: Sherryll Kraizer, Ph.D.
Description: Gives parents effective and non threatening techniques for teaching children how to protect themselves without making them afraid.
Comments: Parents can't be around their children most of the time, so having them learn to protect themselves is essential. Gives guidance for different age groups.
Overall Rating:

Review

"The Safe Child Book" is based on author Sherryll Kraizer's successful education workshop, which has been in operation since 1969.

Chapters are devoted to topics such as sexual abuse, strangers, abduction, staying home alone, bullies, Internet safety, being a responsible adult, child care, dealing with abuse, and safety in schools.

The statistics on child abuse and abduction are startling. Even more so are that perpetrators are most likely people we know and/or trust. Kraizer gives us clues on the profile of a typical perpetrator to identify those around us who could be abusers.

What I like about "The Safe Child Book" is its approach in having parents teach children in a non-threatening way how to deal with abuse and abduction. Scare tactics don't work.

The major premise of the book is that children who think for themselves are the safest children of all.

Children are capable of being responsible for their own well-being, should speak up for themselves, and are capable of making judgments about situations and people. Kraizer asserts that children as young as five are able to generalize and take rules and guidelines learned in one context to another.

In empowering our children, we raise them to be safe and confident. In using the methods taught in the book, the emotional connection and communication between parents and children become stronger. What parent doesn't want that?

Methods are not one-fit-for-all. Age-appropriate materials should be used, and the book gives specific advice on teaching children in different age groups.

Kraizer espouses the use of the "what if..." game to use children's spontaneous questions as a springboard for discussion. Through encouraged discussion, the parent and child can agree on a resolution and strategy for various scenarios. The author gives examples of the right and wrong way of discussion, as the parent may inadvertently frighten the child or not get at the root of child's fears.

Topics covered include:

• Preventing sexual abuse - 5 basic principles of prevention.
• Preventing abuse and abduction by strangers - 4 rules children must follow.
• Staying home alone - negotiating ground rules, answering the telephone, answering the door, emergencies such as accidents, robberies, and fire.
• Checklist when choosing a child care facility.

Adults also have a responsibility to children around them who are not their own. Kraizer provides tips in circumstances where children may need our help.

The book has callouts, bullet points, and illustrations throughout, making the important points easy to find and recall.

The only shortcoming of the book is that it doesn't have any physical techniques beyond running away. While it is unlikely that a child would have the physical strength or skill to get away from an adult, there are still several simple techniques that can be used to make it more difficult for the perpetrator to abuse or abduct.

Summary

"The Safe Child Book" is one of the best books available to parents on preventing abuse and abduction. I whole-heartedly agree in its approach of teaching children to think for themselves.

Start empowering your child by teaching them to think for themselves in threatening situations. Buy "The Safe Child Book" today!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Books Self-defense books for parents, guardians, and children. Includes recommended books.
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• Training Live children's self-defense training from qualified instructors allows more personalized training, technique correction, and practice.
• Information Additional websites that provide self-defense and personal protection information related to child abuse, abduction, bullying, and Internet safety.
• More Articles Read more self-defense articles on protecting children from our library.