June 1, 2010
We cannot always be with our children. As they get older, the opportunity for them to be with other people and families increases: they get invited to birthday parties and play dates; they have sports team practices at gyms or parks. We even entrust our children to babysitters whom we welcome into our home. There is a long list of other situations where parents cannot be with their children to ensure their protection. What is the key to keeping them safe when we are not there to protect them?
Research shows that one of the best ways to keep your child safe is to help him develop self-esteem and self-confidence. With self-confidence comes self-awareness and assertiveness, both of which increase your child’s ability to recognize dangerous situations, to ask for help when he needs it, and to ward off potential attackers who prey on unsuspecting children. Experts also agree that the more self-confident the child is the more comfortable they are telling their parents or care-givers about situations in which they do not feel safe.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, programs that focus on the child’s overall self-confidence and self-esteem are more effective in stopping the cycle of child victimization, especially when introduced in the primary school ages or younger. InstantAmber supports this child safety philosophy and proudly recognizes My Gym as one of these programs.
My Gym, which was founded in 1983 by William Caplin and Yacov & Susi Sherman and now has more than 200 gyms in over 25 countries, has devised a fitness program and facility for children ages 6 months to 13 years which focuses on building social skills, self-esteem and self-confidence through age-appropriate weekly fitness classes. These classes include parent participation gym classes for the youngest children, independent gym classes, and martial arts/karate training. They also have art classes which help develop fine motor skills and that incorporate physical activity into the curriculum. The My Gym concept is the result of years of intensive physiological, psychological and sociological research as well as decades of hands-on experience working with children.
While we cannot be with our child every minute of the day, we can give them the tools to keep themselves safe when we aren’t there to protect them. Building self-confidence, self-esteem and awareness in your child is one of the best gifts you can give them. The My Gym program offers the right environment to encourage and nurture in your child these essential behaviors and in turn supports InstantAmber’s primary goal- the safety of your children.
Sources:
My Gym, www.my-gym.com
The Polly Klass Foundation
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Teresa Mastison, Self-Defense for Kids
