A good friend of mine called last night and said he’d been feeling exhausted. Its been only two weeks at home with his kids since summer vacation started. I shamelessly exploited the obvious jokes at his expense:

“Well! Mom let’s us have Kool Aid for breakfast!”

“I didn’t know the cup would get stuck in the toilet!”

“Why did she get the bigger piece?”

“It’s too hot to go outside!”
My friend is a writer and finishing up his book over the next couple of months and he finds himself at home with his three young children while his wife, a doctor, heads out each day. This is his first time doing this and it’s pretty amusing even if I admire him.

I listened diligently and in the end, while he’ll do a great job and survive until September, needed a little gently reminder about safety as a summer-stay-at-home Dad.

First, I reminded him of the strangers that were going to stop by and in his home this summer. This is an aspect of safety that many new stay at home parents don’t even think of or realize. I reminded him to answer the phone himself and always answer the door. As busy as he is, it’s important to remember that he needs to be filter for strangers. He’ll have to be the filter for his young three children.

Any time he has to meet new clients or subcontractors he is going to have to do so in a local coffee shop until he gets to know and trust them. Having a coffee can also give him something to do during any lulls in conversation other than just sitting there and feeling awkward.

Finally, I asked him to check to make sure his first aid kit is up to date and is where he can easily and readily find it. The same thing goes for his home fire extinguishers. Make sure you know where they are and how to use them and when to use them.

My friend will make it to September. I think I threw him off a bit with my safety suggestions but I know he’ll do them.

In the summer we tend to see the use of the internet go dramatically up. Kids are home from school and are online more, families scatter for activities and mobile phones are used for instant messaging and check-in’s and vacations put more people in touch by email.

It’s the time of year to make sure everyone in your family knows the basics on online safety. This includes Mom, Dad, grandparents, teenagers and kids. Summer online safety is critical since most of your family will be online alone, perhaps even in the house alone.

Summer is also a good time to get the basics down for internet safety in case you need ot learn them:

Choose a non gender specific screen name. Create one that does not directly relate to who you are.

Instant Message (IM) screen names, e-mail addresses, and passwords should be kept private.

Never give out any personal information while using IM or in chat rooms . This includes full name, telephone or cell phone numbers, address, place of business, etc.

Never accept files or downloads from people you don’t know.<br /><br />IM only with contacts you recognize.

If your child uses a shared computer do not let them use the automatic login that comes as standard with most instant message programs.

Never agree to meet a stranger in person whom you met in a chat room.

When you’re asked to enter or sign up for a chat nickname, choose a name that doesn’t give away your personal information.

If you come across something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, immediately leave the chat room and tell a trusted adult.

Never send photographs of yourself to anyone they meet in a chat room.

Stick to moderated chats. A moderated chat room is one that has someone watching, “policing” and keeping the content and users in line. They delete inappropriate content and users.

A safe, fun-filled summer includes safe surfing!

Some of the best articles on child abuse, prevention of child abuse, comes from the Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute.

Now that we are into the summer, you should know reports of child abuse drop in this season. What I also want you to know is that the reports drop because kids are not around the professionals such as teachers and medical personnel that are madated to report the cases and indicators of an abused child that they see each day during the school year.

Does this affect you and your family?

Yes.

Did you know that most children who are sexually abused, are abused by a family member or close friend? Did you know that “stranger danger,” by comparison, is quite rare?

If you are an ordinary person in an ordinary family, you have the most power of anybody to save the children around you. Every time you tell your sister or your husband or your friend a fact about what causes child molestation, every time you tell them what we can do now to stop it, you build a stronger safety net for every child.

Facts are powerful. Education is the key to stopping child abuse. www.childmolestationprevention.org. Check out the Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute for yourself. Good people.