Donna's Healthy Living Tips

We just awarded two youth black belts at our martial arts school (Quest-MartialArts.com) in Ann Arbor and over the weekend we hosted a “Back To School” event that focused on how to have a successful school year.  All of that has gotten me to thinking about what kind of self-defense our kids need.

Let’s face it, kids today are more likely to be injured in an accident or create lifetime health habits that down the road will cause an earlier-than-necessary death (like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc.).  That being said, I thought I would focus this post on preventing child abductions.

I’ll start with the same piece of advise I give in women’s self defense courses: “Who you know and who you hang around with has the biggest influence on whether you will ever need to be able to physically protect yourself.”  The same is true for kids getting kidnapped.  RANDOM child abductions have actually DECREASED in the last 30 years (although you wouldn’t think that by watching the news) while child abductions done by parents, grand parents or other relatives have increased in the same time frame.

We have a program we offer at Quest called “Steal-Proof Master” where the children learn about the ten different types of random abductors and how to tell if the are an “Evil Warrior”.  Then they learn how to deal with each of the ten evil warriors and the primary point that is stressed over and over again is, “Don’t go with anyone unless you have your mom or dad’s permission.” 

Knowing that accidents can happen to grown ups, I encourage all parents to have two or three trusted friends or family members that the child knows are always safe to go with if there has been an emergency.  These people should also be listed as emergency contacts at school and at all the child’s extra-curricular activities.

Have a conversation with your kids today on why it is important that they never go with anyone without your permission, whether they know them or not.  Share with your child who the trusted adults are that they can turn to if there is an emergency and they can’t reach you (and make sure you give your child those people’s phone numbers).  And finally, make sure you talk to those trusted adults so they know that you are counting on them to help out in an emergency.

If you would like an electronic copy of the Ten Evil Warriors and how to deal with them, please contact Quest directly at www.Quest-MartialArts.com and be sure to give your e-mail address so it can be e-mailed to you.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who also presents “Children’s Self-Defense, Inside and Out,” a seminar for children and parents which focuses both on protection against abductors but also focuses on developing healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits to create a vibrant life.  See more information on nutritional supplements at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com