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The letter below from the mother of a student in our Colorado center is a powerful reminder that knowing how to stay aware, recognize potential danger, run away, yell for help, and get to safety can make the difference between an upsetting experience and possibly a tragic one.
We are thankful that Forever Grateful Mommy‘s daughter and her friend are safe. In our workshops, we applaud when our students practice their skills. When I read the story below, I imagine all of our hearts applauding wildly.
Irene
Letter From a Forever Grateful Mommy
Last week, my youngest child was home sick with a virus and fever. My older daughter, who took your Kidpower workshop when she was in the third grade, is now in the fifth grade. In my opinion, she was now old enough to walk herself to and from school. Surely at 10 years old, she knew how to be safe. I never imagined that on this day she would need the skills Kidpower had taught her. After the school bell rang at the end of the day, my daughter and her companion hung back a few minutes to make sure I was not going to show up. Normally, I am there right before bell.
Five minutes later, while the school yard cleared, my daughter went walking on the street as I had told her it was the safest route home. I never thought that might be wrong. As they got 5 houses away from the school, my daughter and her friend noticed a man standing between his truck and a trailer holding a pocket knife. The truck was occupied by a driver too. The man looked at the kids and told them “Give me your money”. The kids not thinking twice told the younger child accompanying them to run as fast as he could. Then my daughter and her companion took off running screaming “I need help.” Your program taught her those words. Nobody was around, and when they came to my door, I could see the distress in their faces. I knew my child was fearful and had created her own power to protect herself.
I called the police and filed a report. My daughter is handling this with such grace. In my mind, she is a hero because of you guys. She could have stood there and cried and gotten hurt, but she just found inner strength you gave her and took charge. I know, because of you, my daughter is a stronger and confident girl. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this. I know you hardly get to hear the success stories but today you get the most important one. I am eternally grateful. Keep up the great work and do not lose faith. You are a program that works, and I look forward to my son learning this as time goes by.
Sincerely Yours,
A Forever Grateful Mommy
Published: October 2, 2011 | Last Updated: September 8, 2017
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.
