Parents, The Ball Is In Your Court
By Tenna Perry
Society is quick to condemn television,
movies, cartoons, video games and
even music for the violence seen in the world today. While
society is
condemning these things, thousands of children are abused,
picked on,
abducted or sexually assaulted every single day. All too often,
it is the
parents themselves who are committing the abuse, but for those
who aren't abusers, they either don't know about the abuse
or simply don't care enough to take the time to do anything
about it. There are also the parents who are too embarrassed
or ashamed to discuss the facts of life with their child to
teach the difference between good touch and bad touch. There
are also those who believe martial arts and self-defense training "encourages" or "instigates" violent
behavior.
Now, if you are a parent who doesn't
abuse your child and you don't want to have your child take
any form of martial arts training, but at the same time don't
want your child to be a
possible victim to some sleaze-bag sexual predator, then it
is up to YOU to teach your child how to defend
him/herself against attack. It is YOUR place
to demonstrate the proper ways of using the weapons Mother
Nature gave your child. The ball is now in your court. So Mom
or Dad, what are YOU going to teach them? From this point on,
YOU have control over what happens to your child in potentially
dangerous situations. It isn't the responsibility of the school
to teach sex education, or the coach's responsibility to tell
your child how to defend him/herself. It is up to YOU!
Do you know enough about self-defense to help yourself out
of a wet paper bag?
Do (did) you know what a sexual predator looks like? Hint:
They don't have a certain look. People want to believe they
are trench coated old men with candy at playgrounds. Instead
they look like everyone else.
If you have taken a self-defense class
or were once in martial arts, how
much do you remember and how much have you actively taught
your child?
Have you role-played with your child
about the possible scenarios when
he/she may be in danger? This role-playing recently saved my
daughter Vicki from being abducted by two strange men in a
truck.
Have you taught your child how to say "No!" or
do you insist your child
always give Grandpa or "weird" Uncle Joe a hug and
kiss goodbye?
Do your children know they have the right
to say no to unwanted touches,
kisses or attention, regardless of who is doing the touching?
Have you told them WHY they shouldn't speak to strangers --
even strangers who hold a photo of a lost dog and ask for their
help?
Have you taught your child to bite, kick,
claw, punch and poke? All too
often, as parents, we are trying to teach our children NOT
to do these
things and when the child needs these skills in self-defense,
they don't
think about them.
Do you even know how to make a proper fist and throw an effective
punch? Have you taught your child? HINT: It isn't with the
thumb INSIDE the fist!
We, as parents, can't watch our children 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. They go to school, church, the homes of friends
and ride their bikes up the street. While we can't be there
physically to protect them when they are away from us, each
and every parent should make sure they have given their children
the ability to protect themselves if at all possible.
