Child safety tips

With every new stage of your child's development comes another question about safety. Is he ready to play in the back yard by himself? Is he ready to walk to school? Then, before you know it, you'll be saying Yes to his taking a bus ride to the mall. Teaching your child safety guidelines as he becomes more independent involves teaching him to evaluate risks and to avoid danger. You can't set out rules for every situation, although it's important to have general guidelines that will be helpful to your children in many different situations. You might role-play situations with them, asking what they think would be a safe course of action. Talk about the possibilities and guide them toward the action that they should follow. You want your children to eventually learn to evaluate risks on their own.

Deciding when your child is ready for more responsibility, which usually brings with it more risk, requires a balancing act. The fact that your child is eager to try something, such as riding his bike to school, doesn't necessarily mean that he has the ability and judgment to do it. Age is only one indicator of a child's readiness. Ask yourself whether your child could handle the unexpected as well as the expected in a new situation. Ask him "What if?" questions. "What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Whom would you ask?" Role-play and practise variations on the possibilities before you let him go out on his own.

Stay involved
Rather than tell your child "Don't ever touch matches," encourage your child to be watchful for potential dangers and to tell one of you about them. Tell your child to come and get you if she finds a dangerous object or situation. When you've dealt with the problem, praise her or reward her, too, depending on the situation. You don't want her to think that a reward is the only reason to be watchful.

As your school-age child explores a wider and wider world, explore the same world yourself. Walk with her along the routes she takes to her school or to visit her friends. Ask for a tour of their hideout in the park. Meet the owner of the convenience store where she stops some days for a treat after school. The more you know about her world, the more you'll be able to help her negotiate it safely, and to know when to loosen your grip.