“Stranger danger” are words to live by for many kids.
But a mom is challenging the idea of stranger danger.
Our parents all taught us simple lessons that may not always
This mom thinks “Don’t talk to strangers” misses the mark a bit.
But why? Well, let’s hear her out.
“Parents are trying to protect their kids, keep them safe. But most people are good people,” said Marcie Wallen, a parenting influencer on Instagram.
She explained in a viral post titled “Don’t teach stranger danger.”
The post got nearly 200,000 likes and hundreds of comments, but not everyone agrees with Marcie.
Marcie says:
“We want our girls to be outgoing and have conversations with people.”
It appears Marcie doesn’t want her girls to develop a habit of becoming socially awkward or reclusive.
But a child who’s approachable and willing to talk to anyone might be an easy target for malicious characters.
That’s what a good few comments noted, and they aren’t wrong.
It’s not hard to see where Marcie is coming from though.
Let’s let her elaborate a bit more.
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As she continued, Marcie states that they don’t teach their kids to recognize “strange people” but rather “strange behavior.”
Because, as she says, “children are most often abused or hurt by people they know.”
I suppose that’s true, right?
Marcie gave two good examples of what she means by “strange behavior.”
If an adult asks you to keep a secret with them, for one.
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That’s a huge red flag, as they say.
If the conversation starts with “This is between me and you, don’t tell your parents,” then trouble is sure to follow.
Those words are already a sign of something shady when you’re an adult. It’s worse when you’re a kid.
So a lot of people think Marcie’s advice has a few problems. Well, more than a few.
She made a fair share of good points.
Recognizing strange behavior in people you know could certainly save a child’s life.
Just because they’re relatives or friends doesn’t mean you can trust them.
If an aunt or friend tells you to hide things from your parents or ask for strange favors, it’s time to sound some alarms.
But in practice, stranger danger has worked in the past for many kids and parents too.
“I saw a big lot of videos they did testing people kids with stranger danger and a few of them would have gotten kidnapped.” one commenter said
One of those videos mentioned maybe this one from Channel 9 from just a year ago.
An actor would pretend to invite kids over to see his dog’s “puppies” while parents and crew observed how their kids did.
And a few kids could have been kidnapped in a real scenario.
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Another commenter encourages teaching your kids both lessons if you can.
Don’t trust strangers; look for friends or family acting strange.
“Just do both” may seem like a dismissive and overly simplistic answer, but it does hold in many cases.
This person may have a point.
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What say you?
Do you agree with Marcie’s advice or do you think there’s more to it than just that?
Watch the full video where she explained it down below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
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