We all do our best to teach our kids the danger of strangers but none of us really know what kind of trick someone could pull to entice our kids into their cars.
Despite the constant reminders of stranger danger, we still hear stories about children being taken. Often kids are powerless against the stories and tricks an adult is capable of.
But one young girl knew just what to say when a man stopped her and told her a frightening story that would make most most adults stop and wonder. Now police want all parents to hear her story and help make their child even better prepared for stranger danger.
The parents of this young girl had taught her a useful skill should a stranger use a clever trick to get her away. She put it to the test and was able to stop a would-be kidnapper from taking her.
Suspected kidnapping
It was Wednesday, November 7, when officers from Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, in Arizona, received a call about a possible kidnapping attempt.
“At 3:45 p.m., an 11-year-old girl was walking with a friend near a park in the neighborhood when a man, driving a white SUV, pulled up next to them. The man told the girl that her brothers were in a serious accident and she needed to go with him.” officers posted on their Facebook page.
But the girl was prepared with a secret weapon that her parents armed her with.
“The child asked the man what the “code word” was, but he did not know it and drove off,” officers added.
Code word
A code word is nothing new to some parents who have talked to their children about the dangers of strangers and prepared them should a situation arise.
Now, officers in Pinal County want all parents to know this so that more abductions can be stopped.
“Kudos to the parents of this child for having a code word and talking to their children about stranger danger,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb. “We hope by putting this out, it will encourage parents to have that conversation and create a plan with their children, so they know what to do if they are in that situation.”
The smart 10-year-old Madison Raines and her even smarter mom Brenda James talk more about the scary event in the video below.
Giving your child a code word is a very simple tool that could save them from a very dangerous situation.
Share this article with your friends on Facebook so that more parents know about it and can have this important discussion with their child.
