How to Teach Stranger Danger?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I was wondering at what age you all taught your kids about " stranger danger " and

how you did it? My son is 3, and we have tried to gently introduce the topic in

the past, but he clearly does not grasp the concept at all. Basically, we have

told him that strangers are people that Mommy and Daddy do not know, and while

most strangers are kind, since we cannot be sure about someone we don't know, he

should never go anywhere with a stranger. One day at a bus stop, I pointed out

to my son the kind of creepy looking man that you would definitely want your

kids to steer clear of, and said " That's a stranger " . To which my son replied,

" No, that's a Daddy! " (since all men are Daddies and all women are Mommies in

his mind) He definitely did not get it! Of course, we all know that predators

often pretend to be very nice to kids, so we want to be sure that our son

understands that he should never go anywhere with any stranger no matter how

they look.

I am looking for a way to drive this message home without making my son scared

of everyone he sees. How do you convey that most people are kind, but one should

still never go with strangers? Are there any good books for preschoolers that

you all have liked?

Thanks,

Bridget