How To Talk To Your Child About Online and In-Person Stranger Danger
While we as parents should be talking with our kids often about stranger-danger, it’s a subject that is often overlooked or dismissed as scary or as a difficult conversation to have.
Many parents rely on the school system to help educate their kids about imminent danger, both online and offline. Professionals encourage parents to keep the lines of communication open and talk with their children often about the dangers of befriending new people in-person and online.
This article provides tips on how to get this most important conversation started. Don’t stop there. Make it a topic of conversation often. Don’t think kids will know it all the first time the subject of stranger danger comes up.
How To Talk To Your Child About Online and In-Person Stranger Danger
Let’s start with the beginning.
Ask the School What They are Teaching and When
Know what the schools are teaching your child about sex, human trafficking, cyber security, human trafficking, abuse, self defense and more. Be aware what they are teaching, at what age, and what might be missing from this line up.
If you know your child has sex ed for a semester, lean in on that and have your own talk with your child. If the school is offering a self-defense class during PE, aks your child to demonstrate some moves and ask them when they should use self defense. Build upon what your child already knows about stranger danger and online danger to star the conversation.
Be Clear, Honest to the Point
Don’t go into too many details when talking about difficult subject. Be clear, honest and get to the point quickly.
Use Easy to Understand Words
At the same time, use easy to understand words and a vocabulary that matches their age. Don’t use hard to understand words unless you are willing to repeat yourself over and over. Explain things in simple ways.
Encourage The Kids To Ask Questions
Take time to listen: Once you’ve explained something about stranger-danger or cyber security, stop to listen. Ask the kids if they have any questions!
Make It an Ongoing Conversation
Talking about stranger danger and online predators is not a one-and-done conversation! Use news stories are a catalyst to bring it back up and to continue the conversation. Let your children read news stories that talk about cyber security, human trafficking, especially if the cases are about kids meeting strangers online. Talk about what went wrong.
Use Examples of What Can Go Wrong
Use real life examples to talk to kids about what can go wrong. Being abducted, opening the door for strangers, meeting someone online who is not who they say they are. Trusting strangers. Don’t ever lay the blame with the kids: always make sure your child knows to come to you with concerns for themselves or a friend.
Talk Not Just About What to Do, But Also About What NOT to Do
It’s easy to say “do this, do that”, but be sure to emphasize what NOT to do! Especially if you talk about using technology to keep kids safe: talk about using security cameras, an alarm system and the importance of phone tracking and being in touch with family members at all times.
Be in the Non-Judgement Zone
No matter what stories you read online about kids being kidnaped, hurt or deceived, don’t judge them in front of your child. Your child needs to know they can come to you even if they’ve made a mistake!
Keep Your Door Open For Follow up Questions
Last but not least – always, always, always keep your door open for follow up questions! Kids are curious and might need clarification. Stranger danger and the danger online predators pose won’t disappear just because you’ve mentioned them to your child. As your child grows into their teenage years, continue education them about these topics.
Arm your child with knowledge, confidence and self-defense tactics!
Heather of Strand Security teaches self-defense classes to kids, teens and adults on the Grand Strand. Email heather@strandsecurity.com for details, and check out Myrtle Beach Self Defense today!
Celebrate the Earth: Celebrate Sustainability in Your Home
Earth Day is April 22, 2021
Did you know, Earth Day is celebrated all over the world on April 22, 2021 and has been since 1970?
From EarthDay.org:
“Earth Day 1970 gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet —
In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health.
However, the stage was set for change with the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries as it raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and the inextricable links between pollution and public health.
Earth Day 1970 would come to provide a voice to this emerging environmental consciousness, and putting environmental concerns on the front page.”
How can you work towards a better earth, a cleaner environment and a more sustainable home?
In this article we look at several ways you can help and do you part in celebrating our most beautiful planet!
Recycling Household Waste
Recycling is easy! Separate plastic, glass, cans and other recyclable materials instead of adding it to your trash. It’s a simple action on your part, but has far-fetching consequences for our planet.
One other great way you can recycle is to start a compost pile. This is a win-win: your food scraps don’t end up in the trash and your garden will grow even better with fresh compost at the ready.
Interested in learning more?
Click these links:
Household Recycling Tips
Composing Tips
Grow a Vegetable Garden
Growing some of your own food is a great way to help out the earth! Eating locally grown and sourced foods (i.e in your backyard) reduced the footprint of your food. No transportation costs, no fossil fuel burnt, no cost for keeping food fresh for a prolonged period of time!
Growing even just a few of your vegetables make you a friendlier consumer!
Use Smarthome Technology + Honeywell Temperature Controls
Keeping your home warm, or cold during winter and summer can be a challenge, and can cost energy and money.
We’ve located an excellent article about ideal room temperature.
As you can see from this chart, besides reducing the carbon footprint, you also save money and live a healthier life when changing the setting on your thermostat!
Smarthome technology can help set and keep your home at the ideal temperature, no matter what season we are in. Let us know how we can help you install a system to reduce your carbon footprint, saves money and is better for your health!
Select Energy Efficient Appliances and Electronics
Another great way to reduce your carbon footprint: use less water, less electricity and save money is to purchase energy efficient appliances and electronics.
This would include the following appliances and electronics in your home: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, faucet aerator, washing machines, dryers, showerheads, toilets, ceiling fans, water heater and furnace.
If you are considering building a new home, start with this Energy-Efficient Home Makeover Guide.
Install Energy Efficient Lighting
Last but not least, install energy efficient lighting!
“Simply, energy efficient lighting can save the electricity while maintaining good quality and quantity of the light. Energy efficient lighting involves in replacement (or re-lamping) of traditional lamps (such as incandescent lamps) with that of energy efficient such as fluorescent lamps, CFL lamps and LED lamps.”
Create and Celebrate Sustainability in your Home!
If you live in the Myrtle Beach area, or anywhere in Horry County or Georgetown County in South Carolina, give us a call and let us help you help our earth! We are ready for your call!
Creating a Smarthome With Your Holiday Tech Gadgets
Merry Christmas to You
We’ve got questions!
- How many tech gadgets do you expect to get for Christmas?
- Will Santa be good to you?
- Will you get exactly what you want?
This holiday season more than any before, tech gadgets are on top of the list for many!
Whether your desired gadgets are designed to make your life easier, your home smarter or your business run better, I bet you are going to love them.
If you are asking for or hoping you get even just one tech gadget for Christmas this year, you want to keep on reading.
Tech Gadgets Should Make Your Life Easier, Not Harder
While tech gadgets should take recurring tasks and take over for you, often tech gadgets create additional stress.
This is because the receiver of the gift might not understand how it works, or even how to set it up, or how to get the most out of it.
Unless they specifically ask for this specific gadget, well-meaning relatives often forget what happens after the gift is opened.
This hilarious SNL skit shows us just how confused some people might be when receiving tech gadgets as holiday gifts they don’t know how to use.
A Smarthome for Everyone!
If you’re hoping for a new speaker, new cameras, or any other tech gadget this holiday season that you want to use in your home or business, let’s talk URC.
No matter how old your home is, it can be turned into a smarthome.
No matter how tech-challenged you find yourself, your home can be turned into a smarthome.
No matter how many systems, devices and brands you have, your home can be turned into a smarthome.
All you need is URC.
What is URC?
URC stands for Universal Remote Control.
URC links all your systems together so that you can control all your gadgets, all your devices, all your systems with ONE central remote.
How easy is that?
The best part about URC and Strand Security; we help you by setting it up for you!
No more struggling to read instructions.
No more getting systems battling each other.
No more getting wires crossed.
The Strand Security crew is YOUR SMARTHOME crew! They have experience setting up URC and other smarthome systems.
What Can Your Smarthome Do For You?
We often get asked this question; what can my home do once it’s turned into a smarthome?
“Anything” and everything is the right answer!
Smarthomes can
- play music
- turn on the tv
- record your DVR
- lock your door
- survey the room
- draw the shades
- turn lights on and off
- adjust the thermostat
- order groceries
- and so, so so much more!
We hope you will enjoy the rest of your holiday season and remember to call us if you need help linking all your gadgets!
Remember; URC and Strand Security are like PB & J.
How To Prepare Your Business For the Next Hurricane
Grand Strand Businesses and Hurricanes
If you own a home on the Grand Strand, you need our 2019 Hurricane Guide stat, to be ready when the next hurricane hits.
If you own a business on the Grand Strand, you will need that same Hurricane Guide and then some.
As a business owners you are not only responsible for your own family and home, but for the safety of your employees, as well as your commerical property.
Hurricane prep becomes of the utmost importance when you have more than a home and family to take care of.
In this article, we will point you to some important resources to have handy for when the next storm heads toward South Carolina, Myrtle Beach, and the Grand Strand.
Hurricane Preparedness for Business Owners
All of the guidelines and preparations you make to get your home ready for a possible hit during hurricane season apply to your business.
- Preparations need to start now
- Get supplies early before they run out
- Create an evacuation plan
- Know when a hurricane might arrive
All the info you need to get started TODAY is right here!
Just click on the image to find our 2019 Hurricane guide!
There is ONE big difference, however, and that is how you deal with and support employees before, during and after a hurricane.
Let’s discuss two scenarios next!
When Your Business Should Stay Open if a Hurricane Approaches
If your business is crucial to the well-being of first-responders and those not evacuating, you might consider keeping your business open as long as possible as the hurricane approaches.
Examples include
- hardware stores
- grocery stores
- auto part stores
- (some) restaurants
- health clinics
- pharmacies
- security companies
and more.
It might be good to keep only a ‘skeleton crew of employees’ and send off those who want or need to leave to care of young children or elderly parents to do so or evacuate.
When Your Business Should Close if a Hurricane Approaches
If you, however, are a business that provides services or goods not crucial in supporting those who will work during a hurricane like that list we mentioned above, consider closing early to send your employees home so they can prepare their home to keep their family safe!
Businesses who sell non-essential* items or provide non-essential* services like
- law offices
- accounting offices
- retail stores (clothing, shoes)
- amusement parks
- museums
- universities
*for hurricanes
might want to consider closing early.
Roads will get clogged up as people try to evacuate and the sooner people can leave, the better.
When in doubt whether you need to close your business or not (if you are new to the business for example) look at similar businesses in other locations (for us that would be Florida).
A proven track record for staying open or closing early will give you the data you need to make this decision.
When in doubt, err on the safe side and close up shop, or open up for limited hours as the hurricane approaches.
Hurricane Recovery Info for Business Owners on the Grand Strand
In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in 2018, Grand Strand Businesses stepped up big time. Their involvement with Hurricane recovery, rebuilding and outreach did not go unnoticed.
There are many ways businesses can help in the aftermath of a hurricane.
That includes
- donating goods or services directly to hurricane victims
- helping to raise funds for hurricane victims
- offering dry storage space to charities to store supplies
- being present with man-power to help clean up damaged and flooded homes
- arranging food delivery to utility, FEMA and other workers from out of state who are helping
No matter what you do, every little bit counts and does get noticed.
Do good!
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