When it comes to our children, we all want the best. We want them to grow up to become happy, safe, confident adults who are able to make responsible choices. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice estimates that as many as 2,100 children are reported missing to the police each day.* Some become lost, some run away. Some are abducted, and others are thrown away. Some fall prey to crime, are abused, exploited, murdered. Therefore, alerting our children about dangerous situations has become as necessary as teaching them the ABCs. Fortunately, parents armed with the right information can go a long way toward coaching children to stay out of harm's way.

Teaching children to be aware and alert doesn't mean teaching them to be fearful and afraid. The goal is to train our youth to use their eyes, ears and knowledge to make appropriate judgments about situations, and to encourage children to turn to a trusted adult for help if a problem does arise.