Stranger Danger

We had a lovely holiday down at the Mount (Maunganui) last week but, as a result, I’ve been on the back foot all week. And so, being behind on the news, it was mildly disconcerting to finally sit down with a stack of papers to read and find out there is a potential child predator in our midst.

Because that morning, as usual, Master Six had raced off ahead to school while I drove the twins to kindy, at which point, we usually pass and beep. But that morning we didn’t pass him. Of course he was all right – he’d just sprinted to school – but it did play on my mind, especially after coming home and reading the newspapers.

The following morning a hurried version of the stranger-danger talk ensued before Master Six left.

“But a stranger might get him,” whimpered Miss Four, having overheard the conversation.

While it was nice to know she cared, I simultaneously realised she’d got the wrong end of the stick. Despite trying my best to give a more age-appropriate version of the discussion on the way to kindy, it proved fruitless.

“What kind of legs does a stranger have?” asked Miss Four.

“And what kind of head does a stranger have?” chimed in Master Four.

When we pulled up and they piled out of the car it soon became clear what they’d conjured up in their little heads.

“Guess what,” they called out to their mates as they arrived with their parents. “There’s a monster in Whangarei.”

By the time we reached the gates a rumour was in full swirl which, like most gossip, had been blown out of epic proportions.

“Mum,” I heard one child say. “There’s a monster down the road.”

“Um, I think you might need to have the stranger-danger talk to the kids today,” I told the teacher. “I’ve obviously done a terrible job of it.”

She agreed that indeed I probably had and I left with the rumour mill in full circulation.

I was dreading what I’d walk back into at pick-up time, but it turned out the monster story was long-forgotten and the children had moved on, distracted with preparations for today’s Santa parade.

I’m thinking I’ll need to give the stranger danger talk another shot – this time with a little more effort put into convincing them that not all strangers are baddies (“Mum, why did you talk to that stranger?!”), or monsters with square heads for that matter. But, I’ll probably wait until after they’ve met the man in the red suit today – lest there be any confusion.

We wouldn’t want a rumour starting up about poor Santa now would we?