talking to strangers - do kids listen?

sky

Tue, Dec 18 2012, 5:01 pm

From Hamodia's chinuch article this week:

It was a chinuch article where the author wrote that he had called some girls walking by his car to ask them questions in regards to a conversation he had with a teacher. When they walked away he was at first proud to have gotten his answer and then was terrified that they had come to his car and spoke to him.

Thinking it was an isolated incident he and his friend did an experiment:

" I parked my car on 16th Ave between 49th and 50th streets, in BP, with my friend observing closely from a short distance away. The plan was to motion to boys under bar mitzvah age to come to the car, and see their reaction.

"I was deeply disappointed but no longer in the least surprised to see that child after child, with almost no exception, came right over to my car and answered all my questions. I found out addresses, phone numbers, where parents worked, the shul their father davens in, all without a blink of hesitation.

"I asked one of the boys, an 11 year old, why he came to a stranger's car when his parents had surely taught him never to talk to strangers. "Oh, yea," he responded, and walked away. "

....

"Most parents who read this anecdote will most likely immediately turn to their children and ask "Are you allowed to talk to strangers?" Upon hearing a resounding "No!" they will turn back to their magazines, safe in the knowledge that their children are the exceptions, that their family is safe, and the their parenting is better then everyone else's."

Do you think this is true? What would your child do?