I had been training in Krav Maga for about 7 years before my husband and I adopted our two kids. My husband doesn’t train so I had often thought about what I would do should the need arise to keep us both safe. But he’s a grown man and could fend for himself pretty well. Suddenly we have two kids in tow who are not so grown. What is a new Krav Maga Mom thinking now? I’m glad you asked! First, I’m thinking I need to be more aware than ever before. I’m already watching my surroundings for me– it’s just best practice. I need to be looking for who’s watching me and who’s watching them. Who else is entering the space around them? That space can get pretty large when we’re at the beach, the library, or the store so parents, we have to stay vigilant. It’s easy to get lost in our phones, but it’s vital that we are aware of our and our kids’ surroundings.
In the same way a lot of families teach their kids a plan in case of a house fire from a young age, teach your kids a plan in case of an attempted kidnapping. I’m trained, and I trained my kids on what to do. I told them, if someone tries to take you, make a huge scene. You have to use your words though, don’t just cry and yell. Say, “This man/woman is not my parent! I don’t know them!” Rather than shouting for help, I taught them to point out a specific person to ask for help. “You in the red shirt! Help me!” Or, “You– man in the black t-shirt! Help me! I don’t know this person!” If they feel they’re in danger and can’t find me, then find another parent who has kids with them and explain to them what’s going on. Moms especially will look out for kids who are not theirs with a fierceness only mama bears have. They could also find a worker, but don’t go anywhere alone or leave the building with them.
Kids naturally live in their own world. I don’t want to take them out of their innocence or scare them, but I do want us to have a plan. Teach your kids how to be aware of people around them and to keep you in their line of sight. Teach them it’s ok to totally ignore a stranger and walk or run away to find you. If someone makes them uncomfortable, don’t speak to them. Awareness is the number one thing to learn for self-defense.
People have asked me, “Do you think training kids in a martial art is a good idea?” They ask because they don’t want their kids to learn violence or fighting. I say, “Absolutely!” When you have good instructors and a positive class environment, they will teach your kids discipline, restraint, and respect. Martial arts improves confidence, motor skills, decision making, cognitive function, and even teamwork. However, not all martial arts are created equal. Krav Maga will specifically train your kids to handle threats from school bullies to abductions. It will give your kids enough dose of reality that they will start to be more aware too. Six eyes are better than two. I’m glad my two children are on the path to being more aware and staying safe.
