Capitol Letters: 10 Ways to Protect Kids Every Day

THIS WEEK'S NEWS in child safety has not been good.

As an admitted news-follower I do not need to look beyond the headlines of our state to see frequent and reported violence committed against children: Mother, boyfriend charged in beating death of Barrow child. Looking beyond our state and recent publicized events the violence against children is horrific; Josh Powell kills 2 young sons in ‘act of evil’ authorities say.  I try not to follow many of the grisly details. I have seen and heard enough to make my body physically hurt, and these headlines jolt my mind into thinking about what I am doing to keep our sons safe.

It’s hard to know everything my partner and I can do and foresee every act of evil against children.  We should all do what we can in our home, schools, and communities, to keep children safe, of course.

Here is my active and ever-changing approach to keep my and your children safe.

1. Communicate. From the moments our 4 year-old wakes up until he talks his way into sleep we are communicating with him. We also talk to our 6-month old son as much as possible. We are setting precedents and foundations of open-communication that we hope continue throughout their lives. My partner and I continually communicate about what is happening with our sons - good, challenging or otherwise. We are always communicating with his daycare teachers, daycare manager and the other parents in our son’s class.

2. Advocate and Participate. My partner and I are active advocates and participants in the activities and any other event that happens at the daycare our son attends.

3. Connect. When my schedule allows I attend a father’s playgroup. This is a good opportunity to connect with fathers. There is solidarity in active Fatherhood! Connecting with fathers supports and engages new fathers that are living many of the challenges that new parents face.

4. Convene. Once a month I lead a Father’s Community Café. This event provides support for fathers, grandfathers, and others that are interested in the safety and well-being of children in our community.

5. Show Up. I attend any event dealing with families and children if my schedule allows. Many of these events lack fatherhood participation.  I am an active participant and/or father-advocate when the opportunities present themselves at these events.

6. Listen. When given the opportunity I listen to other fathers and how they are participating in their children’s life and actively keeping them safe. 

7. Don't Panic. I am realistic about the safety of our community and potential threats that exist.

8. Be Informed. I subscribe to the newsletters of state and local agencies and providers that may provide any advice on parenting and children well-being. (Alaska Children's Trust)

9. Pay Attention. I follow the local news concerning events affecting children and their safety.

10. Read Up. I continue to educate myself through publications, blogs, and fatherhood resources on the internet like Fatherhood.org & SavvyDaddy.com.

By no means is this a complete list of things that can be done to insure our children’s safety. I continue to look for strategies that will increase my toolbox of approaches to child safety as I am fairly new to this position of fatherhood. Safety of our children is one of my primary concerns as a father.