I once lost my child. I'm not proud of it. Actually, I'm pretty ashamed.
What was supposed to be a fun trip of amusement park fun at Gilroy Gardens when my daughter was three, turned into the worst day in my life. Naively trusting that the playground area only had one way in and out, I figured my daughter and her friend could play as us moms guarded the entrance enjoying a treat. I soon started to panic when I couldn't hear my daughter's usually very audible voice and didn't see any teal (the color she wore) anywhere. I asked my friend to stay vigilant at the entrance while I searched for my daughter. My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe as I realized she wasn't in the play area.
Quickly, worst case scenarios came to mind. Had someone snatched her? Had she crawled under the fence onto the lagoon? Would I ever see her again? In what condition would I find her?
Blindly walking, not knowing where to start looking, I was fortunate enough to find her about 100 ft away talking to a couple who were trying to help her find me. We embraced each other sobbing. To this day, that is the day "mommy lost me".
I am so thankful my daughter did not become a statistic that day. But I am saddened to hear every day of the many children who have. This week alone, my Facebook feed has been full of news of child predators lurking not far from our community.
We need to prevent any tragedies not only by being vigilant, but by also training our children to be aware and detect warning signs of when they may be in danger. After that horrible day, I thought I had covered my bases . . . .at least until I played the SAFE Hearts board game with my daughter earlier this year and ended up in Mommy jail several times for failing to have communicated some topics more clearly to her. Topics such as what is a safe touch and when to trust someone claiming to be mom's friend at school pick up.
The board game not only made me realize all the topics I hadn't covered, but it gave me ideas on how to manage some potentially dangerous situations. Best of all, it opened communication on what would otherwise be a very hard and overwhelming topic to discuss with a young child.
I invite you to learn more about SAFE Hearts products during a non-sales presentation by our sponsor independent Damsel In Defense director Julie Lessa on June 22nd at 10:00 A.M. at Busykidz. We have limited seating, so please RSVP HERE today. We will open up more dates as needed to share with the community how SAFE Hearts can help keep our children safe. Group rate admission to Busykidz applies.
Here is a video that introduces you to SAFE Hearts. You can also read more details about it HERE. If you'd like to contact Julie directly, please find her HERE in our business directory.
