Today is Day for Daniel, a national day of action to raise awareness of child safety, protection and prevention.
It is an initiative of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation (www.danielmorcombe.com.au), established by Bruce and Denise Morcombe in 2005 after their son Daniel was abducted and murdered two years earlier. One of the key roles of the foundation is to support parents and educators to teach children about their personal safety.
The theme of Day for Daniel is Wear Red and Educate. So I’ve done just that.
The red part was easy; talking to kids about this stuff is a little more difficult.
I don’t want them to live in fear, but I do need them to be aware.
I don’t want them to grow up too quickly, but I do need them to have a mature understanding of the world around them.
I don’t want them to be disrespectful to, or mistrustful of, adults or people in authority, but I do want them to recognise when they don’t feel safe, to react in a manner that ensures their safety, and to report any unsafe incidents.
We owe it to our children and to ourselves … and to a boy named Daniel.