Ever since the attempted kidnap cases in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, many parents were worried that it would happen to their children as well. Some were even thinking of putting their children on leash. Though this is a common practice in many other countries, to see children on leash is still quite rare in Singapore.
When asked “Will You Buy a Leash for Your Child and Use It? Poll results have shown that as of 29[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2012, 35% of the parents have said: “Yes, I will buy (have bought) a leash and use it (had used it). 57% of the voters have said: “No, I will not buy a leash. I will choose to hold my child’s hand.” And a mere 9% said: “No, I will still allow my child to roam freely.”
However, is a child leash kidnap proof? Well, to a certain extent. A mother of 3 kids mentioned that the leash can still be cut off without your knowledge if you are so engrossed with your shopping. So another parent with two young boys suggested using an alert tool which is widely used in the United States. This gadget has a monitoring tool whereby the kid will be wearing a strap or something which will track the location of the child. However, if the kid went out of a predetermined range or distance from the adult, the buzzer will go off!
Regardless of what ways you use, ultimately educating our children is above all measures. It is back to what we used to learn in Moral Education during the 80s, “Stand 1-meter away from strangers and do not talk to strangers, etc”
For parents with toddlers or children who are too young to understand the danger, it is still advisable to have two adults going out together at the same time. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one.
So, no matter what method you choose to use to prevent your child from being kidnapped, it is still back to basics. Your child is more important than the bag on the shelf. When you shop, your alertness should remain tiptop.
Angeline Foong is a mother to 2 boys. She grew up in a family of violence and financial difficulty. She aspires to give her children all the love that is due to them, yet not compromising in over pampering them. Angeline’s passion is to help parents realize that understanding their child eliminates parenting frustrations …and more at http://AllAboutYourChild.com
