Establish a Code Word

This is sort of scary subject but it should be addressed. If you are a stay-at-home mom, this is especially important because the only person that will notice if you don’t show up to work is your children. But all families need a code word. You need to make yourself aware of the fact that there are some very disturbed people out there. As much as you want to believe that nothing will ever happen to you or your family, the harsh truth is that most everyone that has been harmed thought the same thing. Although there are some situations in which you cannot stop what has already started, there are some things you can do to make things a little safer.

Here are some Tips:

 • Come up with a code word or phrase. It needs to be something that would not sound that completely ridiculous in the middle of conversation but also is not something you would talk about everyday. For instance if you do not have a basement a good phrase would be “The basement is flooded”. The appropriate time to use this is in a phone conversation with your husband and something is wrong – you’ve been abducted or carjacked or some other emergency that he needs to respond to (call the police) without someone around you knowing about it. Once your children are old enough to understand the concept they need to be told the code word. They have to know not to ever tell anyone the word or phase and only use it if they need help from the police.

 • Let your husband know your plans for the day. I don’t mean give him an itinerary of each outing but a general idea of what’s on your list for the day. If you will be traveling to a “bad” part of town make sure he knows where you are going and when to expect you back. If you will be meeting someone or going somewhere for the first time, make sure he knows about it.

• Do not do the same things, the same way every day. It can be easy to fall into a routine to get the same tasks completed over and over. But this can get you into a lot of trouble when your actions become too predictable. Try to take different routes from the same places. If the task is not dependent on the time day, do it at different times of the day.

• If you feel uncomfortable – leave! Don’t worry about offending someone or sending the wrong message. That guy that you have seen three times now at the mall may be a very nice guy – but do you want to take that risk? Teach your children the same concept but make sure that they come to or call you before going anywhere. 

Not a Plan to Cause Mass Hysteria 

As I have said before, I am not trying to scare you into hiding out and become a completely untrusting person. You just need to be aware of what is going on around you. Safeguarding yourself and your family will play a major role in your piece of mind. You may also want to look into a self-defense course for you and your family. And it really is true what they say – a woman that walks with confidence and purpose is very unattractive to a would be attacker.