As your children get older, they will inevitably be spending less and less time under your care. As a parent, one of the most important things that you can do is to understand the kinds of risks your child may face; it’s important for you to learn how to talk to your kids, and to equip them with the skills they will need to stay safe.

The Take 25 campaign was created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help parents better understand many of the dangers that your kids might encounter, and to help you talk to them about all kinds of safety issues. The experts at NCMEC remind us that it is important to reassure your kids, and not scare them. When you talk to your kids about safety, speak in a positive way. You want to build a sense of confidence and self-esteem. You can’t be with your kids every minute of the day, but NCMEC has some advice for how you can help prepare them to make the right choices:

• Be prepared. Make sure you understand the information yourself before you talk to your kids. That way you can talk about things in a calm and clear manner.
• Keep your discussion geared towards their age level. If they are bored or don’t understand, your message won’t get across. You might want to try simple visuals or games when talking to young kids.
• Don’t wait for “the right time” to talk to your kids. Try to take advantage of everyday teaching moments such as a relaxed family dinner, or on the way to school to talk to kids about safety.
• Encourage your kids to ask lots of questions. Let them know you care about them and set rules, but try to make them feel comfortable. Don’t lecture them.

Check out the Take 25 campaign site for more information about how you can talk to your kids. There you’ll find a list of 25 ways you can make kids safer at home, school, online or out and about.

Most people think of kidnapping as an act committed by strangers, but the Department of Justice reports that over 200,000 children a year are abducted by family members. The experts at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) remind us that a family abduction can have very devastating effects on a child. It’s important to take precautions and prepare against it if you think you are at risk. Continue reading Missing Kids: Family Abductions »

Poster by Rachel Stevenson, winner of 2007 DOJ National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.

The AMBER Alert was created in memory of Amber Hagerman, a nine-year old girl in Arlington, Texas who was snatched from her bicycle and found brutally murdered in a drainage ditch four miles away. A neighbor heard Amber scream and saw a man pull Amber from her bike and speed off in his pickup truck. The neighbor provided police with a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Continue reading AMBER Alerts: Make A Difference For Abducted Children »

John & Revé Walsh with 2008 National Missing Children’s Award Recipient Special Agent Christopher Haas and his family (wife Cynthia, daughter Gretchen, & son Dylan Haas) (Photo by Bob Bird/NCMEC).

May is always a busy time for me, and that’s especially true this year. It’s the month that includes National Police Week, and it was again my honor to host the National Association of Police Organizations’ annual “Top Cops” awards program in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, at America’s Most Wanted we’ve been hustling to produce a very important episode, marking an amazing milestone: the capture of the 1000th fugitive as a direct result of a viewer tip. Continue reading You Can Make A Difference For Missing Children »