![]() There’s not a street or area he doesn’t know about and if I ever needed help or directions all I’d have to do is call him and he’d know where I was. He literally knows every nook and cranny throughout the entire city including the suburbs of Chicago. It’s certainly something I would never do to my child today but my dad accepted the challenge and returned home in one piece.Įver since then, he’s become a reliable human map of the city and it’s almost impossible for him to get lost. This was in the ‘60s mind you, and a little tough in my opinion. My dad learned from the school of hard knocks when his father dropped him off in the downtown area of Chicago and challenged him to find his way back home on his own. Growing up, I always thought of my dad as the epitome of a street-smart person and come to find out, he developed his sense of situational awareness (not to mention common sense) as a child. You’ve probably heard your parents or grandparents mention the term and it is just as important that you introduce it to your children and pass down your street-smart knowledge. From Generation to GenerationĪcquiring street-smart characteristics is something we often hear about from previous generations since the concept of ‘street smarts’ dates back several decades. Thus, it’s in parents’ best interest to raise street smart kids who can help keep themselves safe from strangers, identify safe places in the neighborhood, and navigate their way around new places to make it through tough situations. Research from the Nemours Foundation supports the fact that street smart kids are far less likely to be abducted than sheltered kids. Helping my child become street smart solves both of these issues and helps eliminate the fear and uncertainty I once had. My second worst fear is that he won’t be able to protect himself and make wise decisions depending on what situation he’s in. ![]() Making important and sometimes hasty decisions are quite difficult but some of them have an everlasting effect so it’s important to utilize street smarts to your benefit,” Meyers added.Īs a parent, my worst fear is that I won’t be able to protect my child when he needs it. “The most important takeaway is that every individual is ultimately accountable for whatever happens to them in their lives. “As a coach, I was amazed at the profound effect that a little caring could have on one person, young and older alike,” Meyers said when I asked him what prompted him to write Street Smart Kids. He believes that adults and parents have the knowledge and are in a place of power to help kids become street smart by sharing helpful tips along with their experiences and life lessons learned. Meyers also discusses how the fundamentals of learning how to fend for oneself using street smarts are mostly the same despite which type of environment kids grow up in. In the book Street Smart Kids: Common Sense for the Real World, author Gordon Meyers talks about how people who are street smart develop a keen sense of situation awareness that affords them a distinct advantage over others as they steer through life, and it all starts at a very young age. Why Making Kids Street Smart is a Smart Choice for Parents To be the positive parent you’ve always wanted to be, click here to get our FREE mini-course How to Be a Positive Parent. It’s just as important to teach them how to behave and interact with the world around them as it is to teach them how to excel academically. ![]() Yet, teaching them some of these “other” things is important.Īs parents, we won’t be by our child’s side 24/7 – so, it is is crucial that we teach them how to be street smart. On a good day when everything was fine, practicing fire drills at home doesn’t normally cross your mind. Like most parents I know, I spent most of my time helping my preschooler learn the alphabet and how to spell his name. If we had, maybe he would’ve known not to run back into his room and turn things off he would have just ran for the door, I chastised myself.īut I don’t think we’re very different from other parents. We never even practiced fire drills at home, I thought to myself. ![]() When I finally got him outside and to safety, we put the fire out and I suddenly felt like a horrible parent. Then he just looked confused and scared when I asked him repeatedly to put his coat and shoes on and step outside. ![]() I was at home with him of course, but when his dad was busy trying to put the fire out and I was anxiously attempting to remove my son from the house, my son froze and didn’t know what to do.Īt first, he ran back to his room to turn the television off! When my son was 4 years old, we had a small fire in the kitchen, and I wondered the same thing. Are your children equipped to manage and make decisions when you aren’t present? ![]()
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