Stranger what….?

It’s like talking to a wall with these kids.

After all the the conversations I’ve had with them, they just don’t understand  the concept of a stranger danger.

I’ve tried a lot!

The talk I had regarding kidnapping and murder does not even phase them.

I’m seriously not even making light of the matter. I’ve tried to explain the consequences of thinking everyone is “good”. They just don’t get it.

I’m sure the fact that I’m with them 24/7 gives them this sense of security. With mom around, how could anything go wrong?

My oldest is really bad. She is Miss Chatty Cathy and will talk to anyone who will listen. She will also wander off when we are in a store and then run around trying to find me, becoming even more lost than she already was. I’m literally about to get her one of those kid leashes.

Sadly, my issue is trying to figure out how  to teach my children to be kind to others, smiling and saying hello without throwing them into a “strangers” path. In this day and age you have to be really cautious.

Once again however,  my oldest is just like her mom.

I can’t blame her fully for her chatting everyone up since I truly enjoy striking up conversations with random people.

For example, when at the store, she will tell the cashier her life story. If she sees a man in a wheelchair, she will get the scoop and make sure he is okay,  an old lady in the produce section will know her favorite television show.

We were at target one morning and my oldest announced while I was unloading my cart that she had to go to the bathroom and this wasn’t the kind she could hold. Our lane was right across from the bathroom so I told her to go and I would watch.

I of course told her a zillion times not to talk to anyone, to go in, do her business and get out.     (Yes, in hindsight I realize that sending her in alone was not smart on my part.)

When she came back about 5 minutes later she told me about the 2 old ladies she had befriended. I reminded her that she was not supposed to talk to strangers. She informed me that they weren’t strangers because she asked them their names.

Great! This is all it takes? If you know their name they are no longer a stranger…

This is what I’m working with folks. The friendliest kid in town.

I was thinking today about how I was going to have to work on her. I was laughing because we went on a walk earlier and every car that past us got an overly enthusiastic wave from my daughter.

A friendly wave in the scheme of things is not a huge deal, I do it. But, where is that line for her?  It’s actually a scary thought. When do they understand that just because someone is nice to you, does not mean you are allowed to get into their car or take their candy.

As they are getting older, I’m not going to be able to be with them all the time. My oldest is one of those people that has to be told something over and over, almost daily before it clicks for her. This is just one of those things that I’m going to have to start talking about daily.

I myself am too trusting of others and I do not want her to be the same. I want her to be a friendly person but to be able to pick up on dangerous signs. Otherwise, I don’t know if I’m going to ever let her out of my sight.