Living a high-profile life brings a set of potential risks most people don’t ever face or know about. Whether you are a high-level executive, a wealthy family, or for any other reason in the public spotlight, you may face danger that many do not. Out of all of the risks that come with the territory, there is one that hits you hardest right in the gut – where it hurts the most. You can’t possibly bear the thought of your child or grandchild being kidnapped for leverage!
This threat is real and it’s one that you really should think about so that you can prepare your kids (and yourself!) to survive a kidnapping event. A smart kidnapper will hit you where you are most vulnerable. They know that out of everything and everyone you have in life, threatening your children or grandchildren will spring you into action, ready to give them whatever they want. For this reason, it is important to teach your children how to recognize and react to potentially dangerous strangers with intent to kidnap or cause harm.
Stranger Danger: Not all Strangers Are Dangerous
The first thing you want to do is teach your children about strangers in general. As you walk around in public or look in a magazine or online, point out all the different strangers you see and make it a positive experience. Show them strangers of all ages and genders, occupations and nationalities. They need to understand that most strangers are good people because they may need to call on a stranger for help one day if they need it. Point out some safe strangers such as police officers, teachers, and firefighters- adults they know they can go to in the case of an emergency. They also need to understand that not all strangers are good people. Some are very bad people, so they need to be careful who they trust. Teach them to always ask for help in a public place. They also need to understand that bad strangers don’t always look evil or sinister.
Recognize Strange Things
Your first line of defense is to teach your children to recognize potentially suspicious behavior, whether from strangers or adults they know. For example, if any adult ever asks them to:
- Disobey their parents or the rules of another authority
- Keep a secret
- Do something without getting permission
- Help them
- Make the child feel uncomfortable in any manner at all
Teach them to find a trusted adult to tell right away if anyone ever does any of these things. They need to understand it’s ok to tell an adult “no” in a dangerous situation, to yell as loud as they can as they run away and tell a safe, trusted adult what happened. It is a good idea to role play with your children different situations they might encounter, so it will be second nature to them if they do.
Hire Personal Protection
While it is vitally important to teach your kids how to handle potentially dangerous situations with strangers or adults they know, the fact remains adults will always be bigger and stronger. Sometimes they may be carrying a gun or another weapon. If their intention is to kidnap and leverage your children for money or something else, they may resort to any method. For this reason, you may consider hiring an armed personal bodyguard to be with your children when you are away from them. A personal bodyguard is a trained professional who is skilled at protecting your children while being minimally obtrusive to their day to day lives. Most importantly, you will have peace of mind knowing your children are safe no matter where you are or what they are doing.
Keep Your Children Safe
Due to the high-profile nature of your life, it is crucial to teach your children about strangers and dangerous situations, and protect them in every way you can. Hiring personal protection will keep them safe in the most dangerous of situations. USSS is a team of highly-trained individuals with extensive background in military and law enforcement, and we provide personal protection services.
Contact Us for more information on how to prepare your children so they remain safe or for personal protection.