Teaching children to accept strangers

Discussion in 'Parenting' started by remnant, Sep 10, 2017.

  1. remnant

    remnant Member

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    I have seen young children with a phobia for strangers to the extent of crying loudly and seeking refuge to avoid interacting with them. Sometimes, its even worse when a child develops a morbid dear of a particular person for no apparent reason at all. I remember being a victim of such. Ever observed such instances?
     
  2. KloeRinz

    KloeRinz Member

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    Wow, that's hard. I mean I do not even accept strangers myself. Well, I guess the crying is annoying. Maybe teach them to talk to other people, like practice or something. But to be honest, it is best if they do not talk to strangers. You know, anyone can be dangerous.
     
  3. workingbuck

    workingbuck Active Member

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    I wouldn't mind if it's a baby since most babies do cry out loud when given to a stranger. For toddlers, I think it's because some parents teach them not to talk to strangers, they tend to cry thinking maybe a stranger won't talk to them if they do such a thing. I can't blame the parents to teach their children that though since a lot of kidnappings are still going in here in our place.
     
  4. Alexandoy

    Alexandoy Well-Known Member

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    In my experience, most babies are scared of people they do not know. Especially when the guest is a male, some babies feel some kind of insecurity. My suggestion is to let the baby see the stranger not in close up. Better if the baby can hear the voice of the guest so the baby can be familiarized with the sound and the way the guest talks. Little by little, you can bring the baby closer to the stranger.
     
  5. Heatman

    Heatman Active Member

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    It's a common thing in most children, they tend to be scared of people that they are not familiar with and I see nothing absolutely wrong with it. In fact, I think it's a right psychological behavior as nature plans it. Don't get free with you aren't familiar with as such person might be of harm to you.

    The only thing that I would say about how a parent might try and change this is, should the stranger be a family member or a friend, such person should familiarize with that child, always be around and with time the child will learn to be comfortable around you and probably allow you carry or tough him/her without embarrassing you by crying out or shouting.

    Gifts can also be a lure in helping you get to make such kids that are scared of you more eager to allow you carry them. They are still children and as such easy to played mind games on and achieve what you intend to achieve.
     
  6. littlewitch66

    littlewitch66 Active Member

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    My daughter used be afraid when she saw a black person when she was little. There was a very nice lady who thought she was cute and used to talk to her but my daughter was afraid of her and used to embarrass me by screaming! I suppose it was because she looked different. As an adult she has lots of black friends and sees them as she would any other person.

    It's natural for babies and toddlers to be afraid of people they aren't sure of and as they get older we have to find that balance of explaining to them that they shouldn't talk to strangers without frightening them too much. I tell my granddaughter when she goes out that she should never speak to anyone she doesn't know and she now understands the reason why.
     
  7. johnny666

    johnny666 New Member

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    Teaching them to accept strangers, or teaching them how to deal with strangers? I think we should teach them how to track if someone is a stranger or not. Then if confirmed, they should know how to deal with them. We should tell them that a common stranger is not someone who's a stereotype villain-looking but instead, an unknown good-looking person. They usually appear as a friend with unreliable reference. Safe strangers are those with reputable position such as a Police, or a Messenger etc.
     
  8. Folk Artist

    Folk Artist Active Member

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    It really depends on the age because preschool kids really do not know who a stranger is-and therefore they don't know who is safe and who is not. At 4 its another story though -and children are maybe more aware of strangers when they are 5 to 8 years of age ,so they are more likely to go unsupervised and play at parks,walk to school,or ride their bike with friends. Tell your kids who to trust like another parent,teacher or school counselor also you could show them store employees they can trust and turn to, if they get lost in a store.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2017
  9. tyche

    tyche Active Member

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    Ah you mean the irrational fear of strangers? You don't really have to worry about that, since it usually is just a phase and the child will get over it once they grow older. I used to have a phobia of tricycles when I was younger but I outgrew it.
     
  10. tallulah

    tallulah Active Member

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    I think it is better if children are scared of strangers rather than accept them at face value. The rate at which children are abducted is alarming. So, it is very important that parents teach their children not to interact with strangers. It is safer this way. They are children so they should not be expected to conform to any kind of societal pressure towards strangers. Of course, the older they grow the more they learn how to be civil and courteous to strangers without getting into any kind of trouble.
     

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