As parents, it’s our responsibility to educate our children about the dangers that lurk in the world. Yet, as they grow, we often realize they only retain a fraction of what we say. Our ultimate goal is to keep them safe, even though we can’t always be there. One mother’s chilling experience demonstrates that kids do listen and remember our teachings—even years later—especially when it matters most.
When Sarah Johnson experienced severe stomach pain one morning, she found herself in the hospital. While waiting in the emergency room for what would later be diagnosed as a ruptured ovarian cyst, she called a neighbor to pick up her two sons, ages eight and ten, and take them to school. The neighbor agreed, and Sarah asked her boys to wait on a bench just outside the ER.
It wasn’t until the boys returned home at 3:30 PM that Sarah learned they had been significantly late for school. “I had assumed my neighbor was close by,” she recounted on her blog, “but my boys ended up waiting outside for nearly 40 minutes instead of the expected five.” What transpired during that time left her feeling both sick and relieved.
During their wait, an adult woman accompanied by two young males approached her sons, asking them to go into the bathroom to help her “boyfriend” who was allegedly hiding from a doctor. Despite the pressure, the boys remembered their mother’s teachings and firmly replied “No.” Each time they resisted, the strangers attempted to persuade them further, claiming they could save the boyfriend’s life by simply talking to him. Ultimately, the trio gave up, and when their neighbor arrived to pick them up, they saw the “sick boyfriend” emerge from the bathroom and depart with the group.
It was a family rule about safety that Sarah had instilled in her children years prior that likely kept them unharmed. “Mom, I knew they were tricky because they were asking us for help. Adults don’t ask kids for help,” her son Alex shared. This wisdom was inspired by safety tips from Pattie Fitzgerald’s website, Safely Ever After, emphasizing that if an adult truly needs assistance, they should approach another adult—not a child. Thanks to their mother’s guidance, her boys were able to recognize the danger and avoid a potentially disastrous situation.
For any parent, this incident is a nightmare come to life. There are indeed malicious individuals out there who seek to harm children, and this reality won’t change. This serves as a vital reminder for all parents to equip their kids with the knowledge they need to stay safe in precarious situations.
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In summary, this story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of teaching our children about safety. It highlights how critical it is for kids to remember the lessons we impart, particularly in challenging moments.