Teaching kids not to talk to strangers lasting affects?

Question

Can teaching kids not to talk to strangers have lasting affects? I know people my age (early-mid 20s) who were taught as children to not talk to strangers and for most of them it has carried into adulthood and their social skills have suffered. Since the US economy is going more service industry based not wanting to talk to strangers can cause serious affects financially as well.Teaching kids not to talk to strangers lasting affects? So can it really have lasting affects?

Answer 1

I don't think that it will ever cause harm to teach our children caution because there are way too many dying. A person can teach caution and social skills at the same time. Perhaps the method of teaching needs to be changed, but teaching them safety should always remain.

Answer 2

anything that is taught to a child has something to do with their lifestyle and morals later on in life... you always hear the expressions..."when I was growing up..." or "when I was younger we did things ( this way )" so I believe that it would carry on into their adulthood.. to an extent anyway. I think that later on in life you learn the REASONS why you were told to stay away from strangers and you handle it and feel differently about it then when you were a child. Now I just stay away from the "crazy" looking strangers LOL

I honestly do not believe it would cause any type of social problems, but either way I would rather have my son or daughter have a SLIGHT social issue then be murdered by a psycho because they didnt know to stay away from crazies!

Answer 3

Maybe. But I believe that many yound adults were never taught how to properly address people in public situations.



When I was a kid, parents had "cocktail parties" and invited their friends. I was taught when I was 3 or 4 the proper way to address an adult stranger in a social situation. My parents introduced me and I was prompted to return the greating to the adult, "Hi Mr. Smith". I was also expected to behave propertly or leave the party.



Hard to believe that hundreds of years of social graces have been totally lost in less than 30 years. But they have.



You can still find opportunities to teach social skills while remaining safe and aware of stranger danger. You just need to realize that the parents need to show the children how to behave.







You don't see that formality much anymore. Kids aren

Answer 4

I wonder if any studies have been done on the topic. It always seemed to me that kids need to know WHO they should and should not talk to.... and not be afraid of everybody.



It is also up to parents to watch over their children more and not think just teaching them not to talk to strangers is the answer.



It's ok to talk to the store clerk when you are buying candy for example...... but not the guy on the street who offers you candy.



It's ok to talk to any teacher in school on the playground, even if it's not your own teacher.



It's ok to talk to the store Santa at Christmas time and he's a stranger, right? (No wonder that scares so many children! Why do we do that?????)



It is ok to talk to a police officer when you need help, or even to run to the neighbor's if the house is on fire.



When the child is the one approaching most adults to ask for help, it is usually ok. But kids will wander around lost because they are afraid to ask anyone for help, 'cause that's talking to strangers.



Just a couple of weeks ago in Walmart, I saw a child looking around and appearing a bit frantic. I asked her if she lost her mom or dad and she nodded, but seemed a bit scared of me. I didn't touch her, but told her I would help her find her mom. Her mom found her as we were approaching the checkout to have her paged. (By the way, the child was about to head outside when I found her and that would not have been safe since she was pretty young, and apparently didn't know who to ask for help.)



We have to do a better job of teaching our children who they can talk to .... as well as who they can't.



Then, one day they may do what my daughter once did when I heard the following page over a store intercom: Would the mother of Nichole please come to the service desk. Your daughter is hear and says you are lost." ;o)



It only takes a moment for a child to wander off... it happens to everyone at some point, even the best of parents. So children need to know what to do if they can't find you.



Best Wishes,



Sue

Answer 5

well you have to teach kids to be aware of what safety really means like looking both ways when crossing the street but you also don't want them to be afraid of socializing with others, kids learn most around other kids, trying to help them identifying when they do or don't feel safe might be good however if you are too harsh with how you make strangers sound then that could have a lasting effect

Answer 6

It has to be in the way you teach. I teach my children that they are to be polite and friendly to all people. They know what types of conversation are OK to have when there is not a trusted adult near by. I teach them that talking to people is a part of life by being a friendly warm person. They see me greet every one I see in a store with eye contact and a smile. I start conversations with complete strangers while in Walmart. My boys see this, and my oldest has asked why it is OK for me to talk to strangers but not him. I simply explain to him that it is OK to talk a stranger IF there is a TRUSTED adult with you. Since I am a trusted adult I can converse as I want to.

Answer 7

I was taught not to talk to strangers. I am now 21, and I still dont talk to strangers. Now dont get me wrong, I'll be nice and all if I go to the store or out to eat or something and I'll say thank you and everything to the cashier or to the waitress/waiter. But Im not going to go some where like to a store and have a convo with a stranger who is shopping also. If im walking down the street Im not going to stop and talk to someone who is also walking down the street. People should continue to teach their kids not to talk to strangers but they also need to teach them manners, and how to say thank you.

Answer 8

Rather than the rhetoric of "Don't talk to strangers!" it should be addressed in a more rational and appropriate way, and examples should be given of when it is and is not ok to talk to someone they don't know. For example "You're walking home from school and someone drives up next to you asks you if you need a ride, what should you do?" vs. "You're at elementary school and a new student is in your class, is it ok to talk to him/her? Why?"



In general, I agree that it may leave a lasting mark on how a child taught "Don't talk to any stranger!" behaves socially.

Answer 9

I feel so guilty for answering this question, because I shouldn't be talking to you, but they will get over it. Most kids have no problem chatting or blogging on the net. So, maybe this means that people will no longer meet in Real Life, and the human race will depopulate...

Answer 10

I dont think that Teaching kids not to talk to strangers lasting effects because our parents teach us all the bad things that can happen to us when we talk to strangers. WHAT DO WE DO ON HALLOWEEN? TALK TO STRANGERS.

Answer 11

well of course it can.... parents should explain differently about talking to strangers...:o)

Answer 12

Um I'm not sure but I don't think that it makes a big difference though.