How can I teach my child to trust his gut instinct for safety?

A “fear factor” can be a powerful in keeping kids safe, but often isn’t used because we fail to help our kids learn theirs. Teach your child that if she ever feels he could be in danger, to use that fear instinct and leave immediately. You’ll support her.

I was on the Dr. Phil set recently and witnessed a brilliant safety instructor teach two young girls “Safety Smarts.” She had trained one nine year old that when an abductor grabs from behind (and your gut instinct warns that you could be abducted) to immediately kick him in the groin and then drop to the ground and start having a tantrum like a toddler. The instructor explained that it is much harder to abduct a child who is kicking and screaming on the ground (this is only when the child knows he can’t run). The whole scene took place in less than 60 seconds and succeeded. The instructor had another eight year old watching and immediately asked her to repeat the scenario. The girl assertively jumped into the scene, kicked the instructor so hard she was forced to let go, then got on the ground and copied verbatim what the other child had just done.