Many parents’ biggest fear is having their child in danger. Whether it’s at home or out in the world, there are different scenarios that could play out at any given point in time. Here are a few ways in which you can protect your children from unpredictable dangers.
Ensure That They’re Safe Online
It’s no secret that more people are finding their way online, and the age at which they do so is getting younger and younger. Your children may have already started to access the internet for social media and school and in this case, it’s important to ensure that they stay safe. There are dangers to having an online presence in general, let alone as a preteen or child, such as ransomware and phishing attacks. For these, you can install reliable software to protect your entire family. This is important to do when you consider the fact that, in the first half of 2019 alone, data breaches exposed more than four million records. Talk to your child as well and run some basic rules for socializing online, including refusing meetups with people they met online or sharing any personal details with them.
Have Them Visit Their Doctor Regularly
A healthy child is one who has no issues in the background, just waiting to act up when least expected. To make sure that this doesn’t happen, take them to the doctor for regular evaluations and to have their vaccines updated. This will ensure that they’re in proper health and are safe from viruses and certain contagious diseases to some extent. Don’t forget to also take them to the dentist at least once every six months. This will ensure that their oral health is also superb and they can acquire tips on how to improve their routines to make them more effective. This way, there will be a lower likelihood of experiencing cavities and aches in the near or distant future. Oral health is, after all, as lifelong an endeavor as physical health.
Provide them With Clean Food and Water
To further boost their health and safety, ensure that your children eat clean food and drink clean water. Wash any fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating or serving them and teach your kids to do the same as well. This should go hand-in-hand with washing their hands regularly and correctly before eating. Note that a water well filter can stop a whopping 99.9% of dangerous substances from making their way into your home. If you use well water, therefore, don’t neglect to install and maintain a filter on a regular basis. Water-borne diseases can spread fast and leave your entire family in an ill state that could have been easily prevented. Prioritize these habits while your children are young so they can understand their importance and commit them to their own lifelong practices.
Remind Them to Follow Rules and Regulations
Finally, it’s a fact that while interacting with officers of the law, things sometimes get out of hand. Bearing this in mind, remind your children about the rules and regulations that they should follow to avoid a run-in with the law in the first place. In the event that they are confronted by police officers, tell them that they should comply and stay calm so the situation doesn’t escalate. Find out if your local police force requires their officers to wear body cameras, as a recent study has found that police who wear them receive up to 93% fewer complaints from members of the public. Bearing this in mind, lobby to have your local police force enforce wearing bodycams at all times if they don’t already do so. Your children and community could greatly benefit from it should anything go sideways.
When you take the steps outlined above, you may help protect your child from dangers that are, for the most part, unpredictable. The more you invest in your children’s safety, the better off they will be in their own adult life in the future.
