Our child's safety

Liam is pictured in the middle. 

There is more to Liam's karate class than mixed martial arts. They learn how to defend themselves when confronted by a bully and they learn not to be a bully themselves. They get plenty of exercise, too. Liam is now up to ten push-ups, done the right way, I might add.

Recently in Liam's karate class, the children were taught what to do in case a stranger grabs them by the arm wanting to take them away.

They must immediately drop to the ground, kick the abductor and scream out repeatedly: "This is not my daddy (or mommy)!" 

My eyes tear up and I get a lump in my throat each time they are taught this in class. I imagine that for most kids, this must have been a real eye opener. Well, it was to me too. I have always taught Liam not to talk to strangers or receive anything from them, to never run too far ahead of me, and to never hide in the clothes racks while shopping. As a matter of fact, I rarely take him shopping for that same reason (the hiding in the clothes racks). He is a very active little boy and does not want his hand glued to mine the whole time we are out. I thought I had covered my bases with regard to strangers and such, but what if...

So, every scenario possible was played out in class, each time with them immediately dropping to the ground kicking and yelling repeatedly, "This is not my daddy (or mommy)!" If they were to just yell, scream, or cry, they could just be mistaken for a child throwing a tantrum in front of their mom or dad! I was called in to help out in one of the classes, so I had to grab the kids by the arm. Despite the teacher having gone over and over what they must do, most of them (mostly the youngest students), just stared up blankly, slowly went to the ground and barely kicked. Their "screams" were barely audible. On the other hand, some of them thought it was great fun. Liam was somewhere in between. After this exercise was over, I tried very hard to stifle my tears as I walked away with the other parents off the mat.

Heaven's forbid any one of these precious children, or any for that matter, ever find themselves in a real life situation like this one. My prayers go out to all those children and their families that have been through it. I shudder to even think about it. Heaven help us. Reader take note and train your little loved ones accordingly.