How to talk to your kids about crime and teach them to avoid becoming victims.

While the primary responsibility for protecting children rests with adults, children should be adequately prepared to protect themselves, should it be necessary.

Talking With Children About Crime

Talking to children about crime poses a dilemma for most parents. On the one hand, you want to prepare your children to deal with potential dangers, but on the other, you don't want to frighten them. When adults feel frightened and helpless in the face of potential danger, they pass these attitudes on to their children. This is why it is so important for parents to come to grips with their own anxieties before discussing crime prevention with their children. Parents who improve home security, practice street smarts and work in concert with neighbors give children a very different message: Crime is a problem that can be prevented.

Perhaps the best anti-crime step adults can take is to promote their children's self-esteem that is, let them know they are worthy of protection. Building self-esteem is more than a feel-good exercise -- it can actually help prevent a child's victimization. Child molesters find it easiest to take advantage of children who appear lonely, unloved or abandoned.

Although the idea of children being abducted by strangers is horrifying, and does happen, children are actually more likely to be molested or abducted by someone they know. Your goal, then, should be to help children develop self-protective skills that can be used no matter who threatens them.

Here are some general guidelines for talking to children about crime:

Understand that teaching your child self-protective skills is a life-long task. It is not something children can absorb in one or two sittings. Remind children frequently about how they can protect themselves and their belongings.

Gear your talk to the child. When talking to children about how to protect themselves from crime, be sure you use words and concepts they understand.