The murder of 8-year-old
Leiby Kletzky has inevitably stoked the fears and anxieties of city parents who want to
foster their child’s sense of independence while also insuring their safety and
well-being. To help parents sort out these potentially conflicting impulses, we
offer a list of excellent safety-minded resources along with links to some
thoughtful reflections on how to move forward in the wake of such a tragedy. — Stranger
safety, street safety, internet safety, talking to your child about what
happened to Kletzky—there’s a lot of insightful stuff to mull over including
posts from New York Times Motherlode
blogger Lisa Belkin, and from Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids: How To Raise
Sane, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry).
Special Safety
Giveaway: A few years ago John Walsh (of America’s Most Wanted) and Julie Clark
(of Baby Einstein) joined together to form The Safe Side, which
creates fun, accessible and effective
videos for kids ages 4-10, and study guides for families and schools. We think their award-winning “Stranger
Safety” DVD is amazing, and wish every parent could
share it with their child. So we have five
of the DVDs to give away. Please visit us
at our Facebook fan page, and leave a comment on why you’d like
one. Deadline: Friday, July 29, at noon.
Resources and
Reflections On Child Safety:
*Lenore Lenore
Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids on moving forward and putting the tragedy in context.
*Motherlode blogger Lisa Belkin on talking to children about tragedy,
including a guest post from a Park Slope mother who “knew she had to tell her older child
something, but she couldn’t figure out what to say.”
*An essay from Safe Kids
on how parents should react to the murder. “We must remember
that safety is more than just the absence of danger. It’s the presence of a
full and happy life—a life that’s not dominated by fear.”
*An article from Scholastic on “stranger safety,”
and having a “a calm,
honest, age-appropriate conversation with your child.”
*On NetSmartz, parents can choose sections like Internet safety,
sexting, and online bullying and find resources on how to start discussions and
set guidelines for Internet use. Tweens can watch cartoon videos of a cast of
kids who deal with Internet dilemmas. For teens, the site features videos and
stories from high schoolers who struggled with internet bullying and other issues.
*Keep kids safe
as they navigate the big city. This New York-specific site
offers safety tips for pedestrians and for taking public transportation, like
how to tell if a bus driver can see you when you’re crossing the street. The
site includes a guide to street signs to help kids cross safely as well as info
about buses and the subway. It also has printable activity sheets about safety.
*Check out My
Child Safety for a comprehensive tip sheet for any safety
concern. Created by parents, this website has a section for various kinds of
safety issues, including Internet and pedestrian safety. It also includes
role-playing activities that deal with different stranger scenarios that can
help clarify your family’s definition of “stranger.”
*For young kids,
McGruff the Crime Dog has been around for a while, but his
snazzy website might get kids interested in learning more about safety. The
trench-coat wearing pooch leads your kid through community safety, Internet
safety and tips on how to prevent and deal with bullying. There are also plenty
of games to help the learning process.
