Bullying in our society is at epidemic proportions. So many of our youngsters are the victims of bullies at schools and on the streets. Many youth go to bed scared at night and wake up terrified each morning if they sleep at all, as the result of bullying. Victims live in constant fear for their safety and well being.

By definition bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. Often, it is repeated over time and can take many forms. Typically, victims are those kids that don’t seem to “fit in” or appear to be “different”. For example they may be overweight, have developmental or learning problems, or are very passive and unlikely to stand up for themselves and mount any type of self defense.

If you’ve had any experience with bullying you know that it can have tragic affects. In addition to physical abuse, victims can suffer emotional and mental problems as a result. Bullies on the other hand are prone to violence and over time the level of violence is likely to become more and more intense.

Facts About Bullying

Nearly 6 million kids in America are involved in bullying. They are either the bully, a victim of a bully or in some cases both. Males and females report involvement, though males are much more likely to take part in physical bullying such as punching, hitting, slapping, striking, or pushing. Females are more likely to start rumors, make comments about sex, gossip or try to convince others to exclude another female.

How Can You Help

If you are the parent of a child between the ages of 6 and 18 then it is very likely that they have experience with bullying either directly or indirectly. With nearly 30 percent of kids reporting either being bullied or bullying someone, the likelihood is strong that your child at least knows the school bully.

1. Get involved with your child, communicate and know what happens in their world day to day. Encourage open and honest communication by creating an environment based upon trust and love. You kid should feel confident that no matter what problem they are facing they can turn to you for help and guidance. If this does not sound like your relationship, today is a great time to make the change.
2. Involvement at your child’s school. Volunteer for school events and help out on campus. Get to know the administration and teachers. Like most things awareness goes along way toward invoking change. Focus on the social environment at the school. To reduce bullying, work to change the climate and the social norms with regard to bullying. Your job is to make it “uncool” to bully anyone…period.
3. There is always strength in numbers. Get different student organizations and clubs involved. Begin a series of articles in the school newspaper about “Bully Prevention”. Invite a strong, respected community leader to come and speak on the topic and reinforce the message that it’s “not cool” to bully. Create a support or help group for victims of bullies. The group should contain a mix of student leaders, parents, teachers and administrators. This group should offer and provide anonymous help and support if necessary.
4. Sometimes it is hard to get the “real picture”, especially for adults, regarding the atmosphere at school and in social settings. The use of anonymous surveys or questionnaires are a great way to help put the pieces together. If you are going through the effort to put a survey together, spend the time record and publish your findings for all to see.
5. Self defense classes are a great way to teach students how to protect themselves while building self esteem and confidence. A search of your community is likely to return several self defense courses; many free of charge. Encourage students to participate.

Remember millions of kids suffer extreme anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, and sleepless nights as the direct result of a bully. Studies show that the long term effects of this trauma can be very serious. So even if your child is not involved, your involvement in needed. Overtime you can truly change the culture and environment of the school for the better. You will be helping to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to learn in a safe and secure educational environment without the fear and stress of a bully.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few weeks surely you’ve heard of Jaycee Dugard. She was kidnapped as a young child while walking to catch a school bus. She’s was held as a sex slave by her captive, a pedophile named Phillip Garrido. Police made the discovery a few weeks ago at Garrido’s home. Soon the story was all over the news. This case made me physically ill; just the thought of having a daughter kidnapped and tortured for 18 years is too much.

Garrido was a Registered Sex Offender and subject to visits and questioning from parole officers over the years. On numerous occasions each year Garrido was visited by law enforcement. Never in the 18 years of visits did anyone stumble upon something that might raise suspicion? That in itself points to a system that is broken. It is a known fact that over 75% of pedophiles re-offend; that being the case wouldn’t you think officers would approach visits expecting to find problems. If 75 out of every 100 re-offend then I would be surprised to NOT find a problem. Does anyone really think these people can be treated or rehabilitated? In my opinion the answer is no.

I am regular visitor to the National Sex Offender Registry. The system gives users the ability to find out the offenses, addresses, and history of registered sex offenders. As a result of the system I know that we have 6 registered pedophiles within a 2 mile radius of our home. Enhancements to the system make it possible for you to put in an email address or phone number to determine if it is associated with a sex offender. If you notice that your child is communicating with someone you’re not familiar with, plug in the phone number they are calling from or the email address used. This is just another proactive tool to help you keep your children safe.

To be honest, as the father of young children I feel like my hands are tied in some senses. Because these pedophiles are allowed to live wherever they please, the residents are being held prisoner within the community they live in. If you have children and know that these “animals” are close by, you are certainly going to keep a tight leash on your kids to ensure there well being.

So what can we do within the community to raise awareness, while taking back our neighborhoods and creating the safe haven that our kids deserve. First, go to the National Sex Offender Registry http://www.familywatchdog.us/. Find out who they are and where they live. Make sure that everyone within your community is aware. Consider starting a neighborhood watch organization. Create newsletters, emails and web communication to get the word out. Follow some basic, common sense tips to ensure safety.

Common Sense Tips to Keep You Safe
Parents

• Always know where your children are.
• Put your children’s emergency identification (name, address, phone number) on their clothes.
• Teach your children your home phone number and to how call 911 if there is an emergency.
• Agree on a specific time when children must return home.
• Contact law enforcement authorities immediately if there is any suspicious or unlawful activity.
• Purchase and watch The Safe Side video with your children.

Children

• Always tell your parents where you are going.
• Never enter any home without getting your parent’s permission first.
• Never get into any vehicle, unless your parents know and have said it’s OK.
• Always wear reflective clothing at night.
• Never approach any house that is not well lit.
• Remember anything weird that an adult says or does to you and tell your parents immediately.
• Run away from people who offer you candy or other treats or want you to help look for their puppy or kitten.
• Scream, run and fight if anyone tries to grab you or make you to go with them.
• Don’t play in areas that you are unfamiliar with.
• Stay on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, always walk facing traffic.

Some communities are investing in surveillance systems to record activities within their neighborhoods. Most make sure to capture entry/exit ways. If a crime occurs chances are you will have video evidence to help law enforcement make an apprehension. The presence of surveillance equipment is a deterrent in itself. Parents and guardians should consider carrying some type of self defense product. You’ll have the means to protect yourself and family if necessary and the peace of mind knowing you can.

One of the single most important things you can do for your children is to protect them from the pedophiles and predators on the internet. Unfortunately, the same advances in technology and communication that have created web 2.0 and all of the social networking has also created a breeding ground for sexual predators. These very sick individuals are on the same popular internet medium that our children are on.

There are people (lots of them) that have but one intention and that is to sexually exploit children using the internet. Some of the people will prey on children who seem to lack attention, affection, or kindness. Gradually they will go from being friendly to attempting to sexually seduce their targets. To give you an idea of how sick these individuals are; many will devote countless hours to learning everything that is “in or popular ” for that age group. They will put forth there time, money and energy in attempts to have a sexual encounter with a child. They will attempt to become the child’s best friend, listening to their problems and consoling them. They will know the latest music trends, hobbies and interests of kids. They will set up fake MySpace and FaceBook accounts all in an attempt to fit in. These individuals attempt to gradually lower children’s inhibitions by slowly introducing sexual context and content into their conversations.

There is another group of predatators that immediately attempt to engage in sexual talk with children. Some have the primary goal of collecting pornographic images; others aggressively push for face to face meetings with their online contact. It is important to remember that computer-sex offenders can be of any age, race, or sex and they do not discriminate. There victims range from infants to young adults.

The information below was prepared by the FBI and further resources may be obtained through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This is great information and is a must read for all parents, grandparents and guardian’s.

What Kind of Signs Should Be Looked At As Indicators That Your Child Might Be At Risk On-line?

• Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.

Statistics show that children who spend large amounts of unsupervised time on-line, especially in chat rooms are most likely to fall victim to a online sexual predator. So ask yourself how much time do your kids spend online? Do you know where they go and what they do? In many cases latchkey kids are more at risk, parents tell them to stay at home after school. To burn time they go online to chat or IM friends. l. In some cases these children will also go in search of sexually explicit information. Lets be honest, this age group is curious about sex and in a sort of exploratory phase. The pedophiles know this and they prey on these children.

The greatest risk to children is during the evening hours; the internet can be dangerous 24/7 but activity is much greater in the late evening hours. As a parent periodically check the computer for any new file downloads. Often times pornography is used in the victimization of children. It is common for sex offenders to supply potential victims with pornography; this is their attempt to open up discussions involving sex. It may also be used to attempt to show children that sex between them and an adult is OK or normal. may be used to show the child victim that sex between children and adults is “normal.” Again, search new files and downloads for strange activity.

• Your child receives phone calls from men you don’t know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don’t recognize.

Children may be hesitant to give out a phone number or contact information, but the predator is quick to do so. Be on the lookout for long distance calls that you don’t recognize. Check your caller-id regularly to make sure that you don’t see phone numbers that don’t ring a bell. In addition, look for things such as 800 numbers dialed or collect phone calls to numbers that look strange.

• Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.

How does your child react upon you surprising them at the computer. Does he quickly turn the computer monitor off or shield the screen. If so, this is a potential problem that needs your immediate attention.
A child looking at pornographic images or having sexually explicit conversations does not want you to see it on the screen.

• Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.

Even if you don’t subscribe to an on-line service or Internet service, your child may meet an offender while on-line at a friend’s house or the library. Most computers come preloaded with on-line and/or Internet software. Computer-sex offenders will sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communications with them.

• What Should You Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Communicating With A Sexual Predator On-line?

You should communicate openly and honestly with your child about your concerns. Explain to them the dangers of communicating with offenders. Review and save anything you may find on your child’s computer; if you don’t know how to do this, confiscate the entire computer and hold it until someone can check it over.

Use caller id to determine who is calling your child or who he/she is contacting. There are services available on both the internet and phone that allow parents to block children from accessing certain types of sites or making phone calls. You can also have the phone company help you set up a caller reject feature to disallow calls from certain numbers.

Remember to regularly monitor your child’s online habits, this means all types of electronic communications including, chat, instant messages, email, social networks, etc. Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child on-line, they will continue to communicate electronically often via e-mail.

Consider investing a in hidden camera to capture what your child is doing when you are not around. This is for their benefit and safety. It could potentially save there life.

Should any of the following situations arise in your household, via the Internet or on-line service, you should immediately contact your local or state law enforcement agency, the FBI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

On Tuesday August 4th, the largest national community self defense and security event will take place in cities and towns across America. It is the 26th Annual National Night Out Against Crime. The event is promoted as “America’s Night Out Against Crime” and has really increased in popularity over the last few years.

So what is the National Night Out (NNO) all about? Well it takes place every year on one special night night a year. Communities across the nation unite against crime and drugs. The 2008 NNO involved participation from over 37 million people from around the world! The campaign included citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood watch and other organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities. All 50 states were represented, as well as all US. territories, military bases and even Canadian cities.

The NNO has the following objectives:

• Increase awareness related to crime and drug prevention.
• Provide support for local anti-crime programs and to generate increased participation.
• Improve neighborhood pride, ownership, and attitudes; build effective partnerships with police and law enforcement agencies.
• Send a clear message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are prepared, organized and ready to take a stand against crime and drugs.

More than ever before, individuals are concerned about their personal security and the safety of their homes and neighborhoods. On this night there are traditional displays such as outdoor lights and front porch vigils. In addition, many take part in larger gatherings that include:

• Block parties
• Cookouts
• Visits and presentations from police and sheriff’s departments
• Parades
• Youth programs

If you’ve not heard of NNO before, this is your opportunity to start a local program in your community. After all it’s one night per year, and the results are sure to have a lasting impact. You can learn all about the program, get free promotional materials, and contact information just click on the image above.

Remember, due to the recession we’re currently in this National Night Out may be more important than ever before. As all of our communities are resource challenged and fighting squeaky tight budgets; NNO organizers hope more people will analyze the value of the National Night Out closely. On a small annual budget, National Association of Town Watch (NATW), the sponsoring organization of National Night Out, has found ways to make huge strides in the fight against crime, without using tons of money. I challenge and encourage you to either start a program in your community or to join an existing NNO.

I’m sure you’ve heard of carjacking; some of you may know victims or have been one yourself. Carjacking is has become one of the fastest growing and most prevalent crimes in the world. Carjacking is robbery of a car or vehicle. It happens very quickly and the sole purpose of the crime is to steal your vehicle. Though it could happen to any of us at any time there are methods that you can learn and things to familiarize yourself with that can drastically reduce your chances.

As with most crime prevention tips, the first and most important is awareness. Be alert and aware of your environment at all times. Realize some of the most likely places that carjackings take place.

• Does any of your daily routes take you through high crime areas
• Do you find yourself on rural or less traveled roads, especially at night
• Intersections where you must stop for relights or stop signs can be high risk
• Isolated areas such as parking lots can attract carjackers.
• Traffic jams or congested areas where you are stopped or moving very slow can be a potential hot spot
• Residential driveways, either on your way out or in, you can become a target.

So first and foremost identify and then react to these types of situations if at all possible. If find yourself in any of the above situations on a daily basis your best defense is avoidance. Alter your travel in order to avoid as many potential situations as possible. If after reviewing your options you feel you can not avoid these areas then you need to consider taking some steps to prevent an attack.

Give yourself some “wiggle room”. In traffic, don’t allow yourself to end up “bumper to bumper” with all the other vehicles. Give yourself some distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. On full car’s length is optimal and will give you room to maneuver if needed.

When you are stopped in your vehicle for any reason use your rear view mirror as well as both side mirrors. Get into the habit of doing this routinely. This will make it difficult for anyone to sneak up on you. You should also keep windows and doors locked at all times. Consider carrying some form of self defense product that you can conveniently carry in your vehicle for use against an attacker.

Accidents are one of the scenarios that carjacker use to rob unsuspecting victims of their cars. One of the common tricks used by criminals is to “bump” the vehicles victim from behind. When the victim gets out to exchange information or call police the carjacker strikes. Within seconds they are in the vehicle and gone.

Another common approach is to stage an accident with injury. When you the Good Samaritan stops to help they steal your vehicle. Carjackers also commonly pull aside another driver and wave, flash lights, or do something to get the other drivers attention. They will then try to convince of a problem with the vehicle. Once they pull over the carjacker strikes and steals the vehicle.

If you are “bumped” by another vehicle or if someone tries to flag you down and alert to a vehicle problem, don’t stop until you get to a safe place, ideally a police or fire station. You can also call for help from your vehicle and have law enforcement come to you. If it was an legitimate accident or something is wrong with your vehicle the other party and police certainly understand.

Unfortunately, today you have to be very careful when deciding to help anyone who appears to need it. In most cases, they do, but in a few the carjacker is waiting for you to bite. Think before stopping to assist in an accident. You may be better off calling 911 to report the incident.

What can you do and expect during a carjacking? It is important to recognize that in most carjacking’s the criminal(s) have no intention of hurting you. They just want your car. You basically have two options:

• Take a resistive and confrontational approach to an attempted carjacking

or

• Choose to be non-confrontational and compliant during an attempted attack

Things such as the type of attack, the environment (isolated or public), the mental state of the attacker (reasonable or nervous), how many attackers are present and are weapons present are some factors to consider. Most importantly are children present. Again, our recommendation is to be compliant, don’t put up any resistance. You can replace that vehicle and your chances of survival are much greater.

In the non confrontational situation, you would:

• Give up the vehicle freely.
• Listen carefully to all directions.
• Make no quick or sudden movements that the attacker could construe as a counter attack.
• Always keeps your hands in plain view. Tell the attacker of every move in advance.
• Make the attacker aware if children are present. The attacker may be focused only on the driver and not know children are in the car.

In a resistive or confrontational response, you would make a decision to escape or attack the carjacker. A confrontation can be deadly and only those persons who have self defense training or posses some form of personal protection should even consider this option. Don’t try to be a hero, take the “live to fight another day” approach. Should you decide to confront an attacker(s) consider the following:

• The mental state of the attacker.
• Possible avenues of escape.
• The number of attackers; there is usually more than one.
• The use of weapons. (Weapons are used in the majority of carjacking situations.)
• In most instances, it is probably safest to give up your vehicle.

After an attack get to a safe place as fast as you can. Once you feel your in a safe and secure place then you can report the incident. When reporting the crime try to did law enforcement officials the key information needed. What time of day was it when the attack occurred? How did it take place? Who was involved? Give the best possible description of the attacker(s) that you possibly can. Hair color, height, weight, scars or other identifiers, eye color, complexion, ethnicity, and build will all help in the capture.

What was the attacker(s) originally driving? The vehicle license plate number (even partial), the color, make, model and year are extremely important. If you noticed any identifying marks (scratches, damage, dents) or things such as stickers be sure to report.

It is important to remember that in most cases an attack can be prevented by avoidance. Use your personal judgment to evaluate the situation and your possible reactions. Always carry a cell phone for immediate communication. Non confrontation is the recommended course of action and in most cases is the best response. Your main objective is the survive, the vehicle can be replaced, you cannot!

What is “sexting” you might ask? It’s the practice of sending nude or explicit pictures via text message - and teens are major offenders! Roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in “sexting,” according to a nationwide survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Has pornography gone mainstream; I think the answer is clear when we have 14 and 15 year old’s sending nude or sexually explicit pictures to their casual “friends with benefits”. What has society become? What happened to going out for a movie or meeting at the mall? As the parent of young children this is just one of the “trends” that scares the hell out of me.

Did we skip a generation and where the the parents’ of today’s teens? Don’t get me wrong, I realize that sex sells, its all around us and promoted nearly non stop on television. With that said I blame the parent’s or lack there of. Morals, values, integrity, honesty, dignity, honor…what happened because I can most certainly guarantee “sexters” are missing most of the above.

Two major issues come to mind and like most other problems in society, we seem to get caught in this vicious cycle. So these “sexters” have multiple, casual sex partners and the end result is unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. The Center for Disease control says that one-third of girls get pregnant before the age of 20. Teenpregnancy.org, a site managed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states that there are “750,000 teen pregnancies annually. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81 percent are to unmarried teens.” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 19 million new STD infections occur every year. And, even more alarming, is that nearly 50 percent of these new cases happen to young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

You see what I mean? So today “sexters” get STD’s and pass them on to their casual partners, who then in turn pass them on and on and on. In addition, these kids are having kids. So are we heading for a generation lost? I hope not but I’m very concerned!

A statistic advertised in our local paper really stuck in my head and got me thinking. The statistic referenced child abuse in my home state of Louisiana and read; “Over 5,280 children were abused in Louisiana last year.” Wow! That one line got my attention and kind of woke me up this morning. I spent a good part of the day researching child abuse on a national level. Below are some very real, very scary and very sad facts and trends regarding child abuse in the United States.

National Child Abuse Statistics

Nearly a million children are child abuse or neglect victims every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000 children. To put this in perspective, the number one cause of cancer in men is prostate cancer with a rate of 142 cases per 100,000 males. Similarly, in women the number one cancer is breast cancer with a rate of 118 cases per 100,000 female. According to the CDC, children ages 0-3 are most likely to experience abuse. About 1 in 50 U.S. infants are victims of non-fatal child abuse or neglect every year. Child abuse takes the lives of over 4 children per day and nearly 80% are younger than four years old.

The consequences of child abuse are very real and lasting. A population of young adults who were known child abuse victims were studied and 80% of them met the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at the age of 21. Some of the conditions include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and stress disorders, to name a few.

Teen pregnancy is 25% more likely in child abuse victims than children who did not experience abuse. Children are also also more likely to become criminals. In fact, they are 59% more likely to by arrested as a juvenile and 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult and 30% more likely to commit violent crimes.

Of the male prison population in the U.S. it is estimated that nearly 15% were victims of child abuse or neglect and almoste 37% of female prisoners were abused as children. Nearly 2/3’s of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused as children

Child abuse creates a violent cycle of recurring abuse in the United States. Over 33% of child abuse victims will abuse their children.Cycle of Abuse in USA. The rate of child abuse is estimated to be 3 times greater than is reported. I hope you can see how this cycle can destroy generations!

Below are some physical and behavioral signs of child abuse and neglect. Those indicated in bold lettering tend to be the most common signs and symptoms.

Physical Signs of Child Abuse
1. Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object
2. Bite marks
3. Anti-social behavior
4. Problems in school
5. Fear of adults

Emotional Signs of Child Abuse
1. Apathy
2. Depression
3. Hostility or stress
4. Lack of concentration
5. Eating disorders

Sexual Signs of Child Abuse
1. Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts
2. Nightmares and bed wetting
3. Drastic changes in appetite
4. Over compliance or excessive aggression
5. Fear of a particular person or family member

Signs of Neglect
1. Unsuitable clothing for weather
2. Dirty or unbathed
3. Extreme hunger
4. Apparent lack of supervision

Together we can make a difference. It starts by adopting a zero tolerance approach to child abuse. It is simply unacceptable. Educate yourself, friends, and family about child abuse and the signs. If you suspect that a child is the victim of abuse please contact the National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). A great resource is http://www.childhelp.org/

Sources:
1. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and The Federal Administration for Children and Families.
The CDC publication: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
2. http://www.childhelp.org

Guardian Self Defense & Security Products LLC

My wife and I are expecting our second child in May. We have a beautiful three year old girl and this time a boy is on the way. During the second trimester ultrasound the tech saw some things that are “soft markers” for Downs Syndrome. The Radiologist and my wifes’ OBGYN confirmed the technicians findings. These were two so called “soft markers” which means that the baby may be at greater risk of having Downs. The first sign was cardiac focus or a small calcification around the left ventricle of the heart. The second sign was some fluid backup in the kidneys. The OBGYN basically said not to worry that he was confident that everything was fine, but just to be safe he wanted us to see a fetal medicine specialist.

I am telling you this now, but as it was all playing out I had no idea that something may be wrong. I was totally out of the loop because my wife did not want to worry or upset me and decided not to tell me. So each time she went for a checkup or ultrasound I would hear that everything was perfect, nothing to worry about. Well about three weeks ago the phone rings and its this nurse calling to schedule my wife’s appointment with a fetal medicine specialist. To make a long story short, I asked my wife to explain and she told me what was going on. To say I was mad is a severe understatement. But I was quickly consumed by worry and fear. It felt like an eternity as we waited for the appointment with the fetal doctor.

The day of the appointment had finally arrived. We went to the office and went through another round of ultrasoundswith a better machine (so I’m told). Turns out he ends up seeing the same thing. He advises that he can not say that our baby does not have Downs, but that the markers are “soft” and nothing else “raised any eyebrows’. Of course I’m still mad, I worried, scared. You name it and I think I felt the emotion. My wife was upset as well but tried to remain composed.

The choices we had were: do nothing and just wait to find out during birth or to have an Amniocentesis test done. The test would tell us if our baby was healthy or not. The dilemma we faced was that the test had some possible risks and complications. Nevertheless we decided to have the test done as neither of us could stand to go another 2 plus months without knowing.

We are Christians and had already turned it over to God. With any pregnancy there are the chance that things may not turn out as you planned. My wife and I were very positive in our thinking and truly believed that God would deliver us a happy and healthy baby boy. However, we both knew that if his plans were different and our baby was diagnosed with Downs or another chromosomal disorder; he would still be our miracle from God. We would love him and raise him just the same.

Of course the test results are not instant which adds to the worry and anxiety. We were told the results could take up to three weeks. It was agonizing, but we stayed positive and busy knowing the God would handle the rest. Thursday at 3:45pm I received the results by telephone and I am happy to say the tests results were normal. I was so happy and relieved; I was so glad to hear all was well as was my wife.

Later that day I began to think about the people who go through this type of thing and end up with a “positive” test result. I can’t begin to imagine the physical, mental, and emotional strain they are forced to endure. All the while life still moves on. They still have to go to work, still have to cook, and pay bills. Needless to say things really get put into perspective during times like these. What may have been my number one priority just a few months ago; now doesn’t even make the list.

For the health, safety and happiness of my children and family I give thanks everyday. For the families who have special needs children, kids with Downs or other chromosomal disorders, or kids who are sick with chronic or terminal illness I give my heart and prayers. For these are the true heroes. These individuals should be our role models, the ones we look up to and the ones we do what we can to give a helping hand.

On behalf of my family and Guardian Self Defense we donate to the Kidd’s Kids Foundation and to Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Hopefully, our small contributions can help make a difference in the lives of those who truly need it. My challenge to you is to take a moment to visit the websites of both charities and learn what they are all about. After you visit, if you feel as strongly as I do about the importance of their work, I am asking that you step up and contribute something. They take one time donations, monthly contributions, as well as volunteers to assist in their cause. Make a difference and see how good you will feel!

Guardian Self Defense & Security Products LLC

Child Safety

Parents, guardians, and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today’s fast-paced world. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address these challenges.

For decades, children were taught to stay away from “strangers.” But this concept is difficult for children to grasp and often the perpetrator is someone the child knows. It is more beneficial to help build children’s confidence and teach them to respond to a potentially dangerous situation, rather than teaching them to look out for a particular type of person.

NCMEC is the nation’s resource center for protecting children. Our prevention and safety education programs and materials contain information and tips that will help you keep your children safer. The Just In Case… and Know the Rules publication series are especially important for parents and guardians.