Getting Unlost (4)

Getting (Un)lost (4)

7. Establish a meeting place. As you move through different neighborhoods, point out the names of restaurants or shops. Tell your kids that if you get separated to meet at a certain corner or store. Make sure they know the general itinerary for the day so they know where they have been and where the family was likely to go next.

8. Find an adult. While teaching your kids to find a police officer in a panic situation is always good advice, the reality is police officers aren't always standing on every block. Talk to your children about other people they could approach. Store merchants, doctors or hospital officials, restaurant staff, bank tellers and hotel personnel with visible name tags and mothers with children will likely offer assistance in emergency situations.

Also, teach children to identify dangerous adult behaviors, and to respond decisively, says Records. "When we teach parents and children about safety and preventing abduction or sexual exploitation, we give them a few general rules about identifying a safe person. Some of those rules are: no adult should give children gifts without asking the parents first; no adult needs a kid's help; no adult should ask a child to keep a secret, and no adult should ask a child to touch their private parts (parts covered by a swimming suit) or anyone else's," says Records. "The same rules apply when traveling. If any adult breaks those rules, tell your child that he or she should run to a parent or another trusted adult, and tell. You also want to emphasize that your child should continue asking for help until they find someone they can trust."

9. Call for help.  If you're staying in the U.S., dialing 911 should quickly route you directly to local emergency response teams. If you're going abroad, you'll find that most international cities and countries have a similar way of getting help. Before you go, find out the local emergency number for your destination - the Santa Clara County, Calif. Fire Department's Web site, www.sccfd.org/travel.html, for example, lists emergency numbers for many popular cities and countries - and have your children commit it to memory, adds Gilles-Weil. Also, show your children how to call the local police department from a pay phone or write down phone instructions for them. "You want to make sure your children know how to contact the police," she says. "Find out if it's a free call, or if it's a toll call, how much it costs. Give your children enough money or buy them a calling card so they can make an emergency call."

Also, you may want to teach your children a few necessary phrases, such as "I need help" or "Can you help me," in the language spoken at your destination, adds Records.

10. Order your free Child Safety Kit.  Click here to order your free Child Safety Kit today.

***
As for the little girl in San Francisco, luckily, she turns to me for help.
 
We retrace her steps down the narrow walkway. She wipes her nose and nods. Yes. She passed this store. She nods again. Yes. She remembers that restaurant.

A few feet away, she spots her dad and rushes over to him, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Where did you go?" her confused father says, returning the hug.

"She got a little ahead of you," I reply.

We exchange thank-yous and good wishes as I set off to finish my run. When I turn back, I see the girl and her family have drifted into a sea of strolling tourists, getting lost together.

Jennifer Baljko, previously of San Francisco, is a freelance writer now living Barcelona.

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