There’s no better way to spend the festive holidays than at the beach with family and friends, eating ice-cream, cooling off in the little waves, building sand castles or kicking a ball around – this is what holidays are about. But all too quickly the fun can turn into a nightmare. You can no longer see little child. You hear your heart thumping, a tightness grips your throat. “She was just there”, you say to yourself as your eyes quickly dart from left to right. “She must be here.” “We all saw her.” Panic strikes! You stand up, look around but can’t find the child. You blame yourself for being irresponsible? Within seconds the mood changes as you realise your child is missing – and you are to blame.
As a parent, it is your responsibility to protect and prevent your child from going missing. With the holidays upon us, spokesperson for Durban Metro Polic, Eugene Msomi shares some tips on what you can do to have a safe, happy festive season
- Know where your child is at all times, who they are with and what they are wearing.
- Never leave a child unattended. If you need to go back to the car or to the toilet, take your child with you or ask a friend to watch the child.
- Teach your child not to go anywhere with people they do not know or trust. Likewise, they must never accept a gift from a stranger or agree to go anywhere with them.
- Teach your child to make loud noises in order to attract attention.
- Let your child wear a whistle around the neck so that if they get separated from you, they can blow it.
- Know your child’s friends – their names, addresses and phone numbers.
- Teach your child the importance of the Buddy System – to never go anywhere alone, but to always be with someone they know, like playing with friends at the beach.
- An ID bracelet or any form of identification with your number on it is also very useful. When going to the beach get your child tagged with a wrist band.
- Teach your child their name and address, as well as your name and number.
- For outings to the beach or a shopping mall, agree on a pre-arranged meeting place if you should get separated. In a mall choose a place the child is familiar with and will be able to remember – for instance, their favourite fast food outlet, or at the beach, the NGITHOLE LA/ FIND ME HERE gazebo. Your child must never go to the parking lot.
- Teach your child that it’s better to shout “Help” rather than to scream.
Lastly, Eugene encourages you to take all precautions outlined above if you choose to take your children to the beach, especially if it is overcrowded.
