3 Tips To Keep Your Family Safe During Greenville’s 2018 Festivals

4/30/2018 (Permalink)

Write your phone number on their wrist and cover it with liquid bandage in case you get separated

Warm weather is (finally) here. And with it comes some of the Upstate’s many outdoor festivals and events. These festivals are fantastic opportunities to spend some time with the family and enjoy what many local businesses have to offer. Live Music, games, and fried… everything, there can be so much to experience. But, all of the fun can quickly turn to panic if you realize that your little one(s) are not close by. And if that makes you freak out, imagine how a child may feel.

As with most things, it is best to be prepared if something like this ever happens. Having a game plan can help to reduce the time a family is separated and limit the stress and anxiety that adults and children may face. So, with that being said here are 3 methods (from Simplemost.com) that you can try when attending festivals or theme parks.

Teach Your Children to Call Out Your “Real’ Name

Yes, our real names may be mom, dad, grandpa, etc. to our kids, but this rings true for most families. And that is why it is important to teach your child to call out your first name if you ever get separated in public. The combination of their voices and your name can stand out and grab your attention quickly. It can assist anyone they may come across locate you faster if your child knows your first and last name. Just maybe tell them not to call you by your name at the dinner table.

Practice Getting Lost

Mister Rogers said “Always look for the helpers,” and who are we to disagree. Educating your kids about who is there to help can be a great, and less scary, portion of the stranger danger conversation. Stressing how to identify police officers, firefighters, or other public servants will empower children with the ability to look for help on their own and reduce their feelings of helplessness. If you feel that your child is too young to easily ID police officers, you can always train them to look for another “mommy” with her kids. As a parent, they can be super quick and more than ready to help out a young child in need. But its essential rehearse this scenario a few times to make sure that they understand the plan.

Write your contact information somewhere it cannot be washed off or lost.

By the time my niece was four she could recite all the lyrics from almost any Disney song (especially the one about letting go), but she was having the toughest time remembering her parents’ phone numbers. Examples like this are why the Clovis Police Department in California recommend writing contact info on a child’s wrist and covering it with a spray-on bandage so that the ink will stay put. This can be a lot more impactful than just having a paper that can be easily lost or thrown away and make it very easy for any helpers contact you.

We hope that you never need these tips, but if you do, we hope that they are a tremendous help. And you have to worry about is heartburn from all the festival food.