Library Mama

We were talking in my mother’s group about what to teach our children about strangers. We want our kids to be safe, we said, but we also don’t want them walking around scared of everybody. How do you make friends if you never talk to anyone you don’t know? One crunchy mother recommended this book, and the recommendation was seconded by a colleague with a much more mainstream parenting approach.

Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker

To understand the title, it helps to know that De Becker’s first book was The Gift of Fear, about paying attention to fear to protect yourself, without going around being terrified all the time. I haven’t read it yet, but non-parent types reading here might take a look at that one first. This book is geared towards parents, and is about protecting children from all kinds of violence. He contends that by knowing where real danger lies and learning how to recognize and guard against that, parents can relax the rest of the time.

( Details behind the cut )

The book includes some stories both of thwarted and successful violence, both alarming. De Becker is himself a survivor of abuse and a personal safety advisor to many high-profile people, so he knows what he’s talking about. The book isn’t necessarily calming to read, but the increased real safety is worth it for all parents