A “missing kid” is a frightening experience for any parent. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 800,000 children younger than 18 are missing annually – an average of 2,185 children reported missing daily. Sixty-three percent of the abductions involve non-family members such as a babysitter, friend, long-term acquaintance, neighbor, caretaker or person of authority; whereas, 37 percent of the abductions involve a stranger.

Most abductions occur during the day while a child is walking home or riding a bicycle between the hours of two and seven in the evening. Considering the number of children reported missing, the critical questions to be asked are: Is it time to teach kids about stranger safety? What are safety tips for children and parents?

In a recent NBC special documentary, “My Kid Would Never Do That: Stranger Danger,” elementary school kids were tested on what they would do when approached by a stranger. The kids were not aware they were being videotaped by NBC and watched by their parents. The children were only informed that they were participating in a community project to make posters for U.S. troops. The hope was that the kids would remember the things their parents taught them about getting into a vehicle with a stranger.

The kids participating in the experiment included the NBC reporter’s own son, a set of twins, three girls who did not know each other and three boys that knew each other. The children were all faced with the same challenge: a stranger in an ice cream truck offers free ice cream and coerces them to come into the truck and look at the truck’s music machine. All of the kids had been coached by their parents about the dangers of talking and accepting items from strangers. The results of the experiment were disappointing and scary.

Of the twins, one child was reluctant to get in the truck, refused to accept ice cream and expressed that they would have to ask their parents about the stranger’s requests. The other twin took the ice cream. The three girls who did not know each other became very excited about the arrival of the ice cream truck. All of the girls followed the stranger to the back of the truck and one of them got into the truck, received her ice cream and started marveling over the truck’s music machine. One of the three girls who had been taught repeatedly by her father (a police officer) about stranger safety, pulled the other girl away from the truck and told her that it was a scam. With the repeated coercing of the stranger, the two girls cautiously approached the side of the truck and reluctantly got ice cream from the stranger.

Of the three boys who were very good friends, one child stayed back (the NBC reporter’s son) while the other two boys followed the stranger to the truck. Eventually, all three boys got their ice cream with the reporter’s son running for safety behind the project area. All of the parents were disappointed with their children and realized they had to work more with them to help them understand the dangers of talking with strangers and accepting items from them.

To avoid potential abductions, NCMEC provides the following safety tips for children and parents: For children, they should (1) avoid being tricked by adults who offer special gifts or treats such as ice cream; (2) get approval from your parents before you go or do anything with a stranger; (3) say no to all requests by strangers and (4) take a friend when you go somewhere. Parents should (1) teach kids to avoid getting in or going towards a stranger’s vehicle; (2) establish rules for where they can go in the neighborhood (3) practice role-playing various scenarios and (4) keep open lines of communication.

Similarly, the NBC expert on abductions noted that parents should teach kids at a young age how to say no and be assertive and strong when approached by strangers. She also noted that parents should place emphasis on teaching kids about different abduction situations such as what to say if a stranger says, “Don’t tell your parents.”

Keeping our children safe is a major responsibility of parents. In today’s environment, our children can be faced with untold scams that can ultimately harm them mentally and physically. As parents, we must diligently train our children about how to handle strangers and the actions they can take when they are in dangerous situations.

Dr. Ronald Holmes is the author of two books, “Education Questions to be Answered” and “Current Issues and Answers in Education.” He is president of “The Holmes Education Post,” an education focused Internet newspaper. Holmes is the national superintendent of education for the National Save the Family Now Movement, Inc., a former teacher, school administrator and district superintendent. He can be reached at [email protected].