The Question
In today's society, we try to protect our children by teaching them about 'stranger danger.' In particular, it is often emphasized never to follow a stranger, no matter how friendly they may appear. Despite this attempt to educate children, why is it that many strangers are able to lure them away? Is there an effective method to stop child molesters?
An Account as an Example
Oftentimes, a stranger is very cunning and preys on the child's innocence and eagerness to help someone in need. I myself, as a child, was lured by a stranger early one Sunday morning. That day, at age nine, I became one of the many rape victims that are so prevalent in our society today. At the time, I was throwing papers on a route I worked with my sister. The following is an account of that event:
From out of nowhere, a man approached as soon as Mary had disappeared.
"Have you seen a cat?" he asked.
"No," I quickly replied.
"Could you help me find my cat?"
"Well, I must finish my route, and I need to tell my sister where I'm going," I told him.
"It'll only take a few minutes. She won't even know you are gone."
I thought for a second, realizing he was probably right, and besides, my parents taught me to help others. I did not even question how his cat got loose. As far as I was concerned, he was out so early in the morning, amid the darkness, because he was looking for his cat that had run away.
I remember wondering at the time whether I had seen him before. He looked somewhat familiar. Anyway, I believed he was one of my customers, and so I followed him to assist him in locating his cat. After all, he said we would just be a minute.
When the man first came up to me, I had been standing next to our basket, grabbing some papers. I left the basket in the street, assuming Mary would stroll out any minute to continue, and I would be back, in just a second, to join her. I walked with the man toward Prescott Avenue, where we turned right and proceeded toward Holland Avenue, which was one block over in the opposite direction from Lemmon Avenue. However, we did not go that far.
He told me to follow him into the alley between Bowser and Holland. It was twilight now, and the alley had an eerie feel to it. It was not peculiar for me to enter the alley; Mary and I often trekked through the alley on our way to the local 7-Eleven. Several houses down, we came to a dwelling that looked recognizable. Yes, I thought; we threw papers to this house. I had never seen the back of the house though.
There was a large vegetable garden growing in the yard. The vegetables came right up to a flimsy chicken-wire fence. Standing there, I wondered if this guy was the son of the lady who lived there. Whenever we went collecting, we never got a good look at him. Still, I was not sure.
"My cat's in the vegetable garden. I saw him over there. Can you crawl under the fence and get him?" He pointed to a section of the garden where some plants were growing close to the house. As he spoke, he fidgeted with the bottom of the fence, as if trying to make room for me to crawl under it. "Here kitty, kitty," he called.
As I drew closer, he suddenly changed his mind and said, "Oh no, he's not here. I think he ran down the alley." I was somewhat relieved, because I thought I would cut myself as I wiggled under the narrow, sharp fence. I had nothing to protect my legs or arms. I was wearing a white, short-sleeved, cotton blouse that buttoned in the front, a pair of old, faded red shorts, and a pair of worn tennis shoes.
He now looked back in the direction from which we had just traveled. He stood and started moving back towards Prescott, coaxing me to follow. He was out in front of me, but he periodically looked over his shoulder to make sure I was following him. He crossed Prescott and advanced into the alley on the other side of the street, moving towards Hawthorne Avenue. It was at this point that I became hesitant. "I think my sister's going to get mad at me. I better get back," I said as we trekked along.
"Oh, I saw him run right up here, and I know we can find him quickly," he said as he pointed straight ahead. He seemed to hoof it much faster now. As he paced along, I fell behind, vacillating about whether to abandon the search. We crossed Hawthorne Avenue. All I could think about was getting back to Mary. We had been gone more than a few moments. How long could this take?
A Warning from Inside
As you read my account of walking with the man who later raped me, did you notice that I had become hesitant and alarmed at one point? What is not revealed above is that I was actually 'unnerved' even before the man approached me. That little voice inside of me had been telling me that there was danger. However, I did not recognize the voice.
A Possible Effective Danger Safety Training Method for Children to Avoid 'Stranger Danger'
I have since discovered that the voice was my intuition: the spirit of God within me. Since God is everywhere, that spirit is within each of you and can be accessed at any time. Why is it that I did not recognize the voice? The answer lies in the fact that I was never trained to listen to my gut instincts. Had I listened to that voice, I may have never been raped.
It is important to teach our children to avoid strangers. However, as statistics have shown, that is not enough: children are still being lured away. When we teach children to avoid strangers, oftentimes they are simply frightened by everyone. However, if another approach is taken, this can be avoided. Might a solution lie in the knowledge that each of us is already equipped with our own 'radar detector' to guide us away from danger? Perhaps, the most effective tool in protecting our children is teaching them how to enhance their own innate intuition, and then LISTEN to the spirit and ACT.
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