Last week I briefly spoke about the above caption and today is the concluding part.
Please check my previous post to get the full gist of what today’s post is about, if you want.
My youngest son is 17 and he is at that age that he is questioning everything about the authorities.
The other day, he asked me when he came back from his driving lesson, “Mom what do I do when a policeman 👮♀️ stops me while driving”?
So as a parent I have to start talking to him about these things now.
So here are some of the things I spoke to him about, I hope it helps you when you decide to have the “Talk” with your kids. (because they will experience it one day, so you need to prepare them so they know what to do)
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👉So what age and what exactly do you say to your children about police encounters,
It’s important for parents to be honest with their kids from an early age and to include more details as the child gets older.
✅Start talking about these issues as early as age 6 when your children start school.
✅Your children are likely to hear about police incidents because they’re on the news, and everyone is talking about these events when they happen.
✅You want them to hear it from you before hearing it from their peers and classmates.
✅Tell them the role police officers play and the benefits of police officers, but help them understand that sometimes police interactions don’t go as they should and that sometimes people are hurt.
✅When they are 10 years and above, start talking about concepts such as discrimination and racial injustice, using historical examples.
‼️Teaching your children what they have the right to say and not say during police stop and search is very important ❗️
✅I think it’s fine for kids to give their names to an officer, but once the questions go beyond that, they should immediately ask for two things: a parent and a lawyer.
✅Teach your kids to say something like; ‘I would feel more comfortable if my parents are here. I would like to call my parents, and I would like to have my lawyer present”.
Those two things should end the questioning.
👉TEACHING KIDS HOW TO HANDLE THEMSELVES IF THEY ARE PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE.
✳️Teach your teenagers to stay calm and cooperate with officers’ requests.
✳️Even if kids know they’ve done something wrong, it is important for them to remain calm and compliant.
‼️During a traffic stop, tell your teens (and others) to follow these steps:
– ❗️Turn off the ignition.
– ❗️Roll down all of your windows — even if it’s winter.
– ❗️Explain where your license, registration and insurance are before reaching for them.
👉What I tell my son, and the children I teach, is just COMPLY❗️
❗️If the police officer asks you to do something, roll down the window and give them whatever they ask.
❗️And if it’s an unlawful order, there are systems set in place where that police officer will be held accountable for his actions.
❗️If kids feel their rights were violated during a stop, I will advise them to take down the information they’ll need to report them later.
👉Every officer has a badge number, every car has a license number plates
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 👇👇
Positive Parenting With Olu 