Preventing Child Abduction

One Family's Happy Ending

by Glenn Gordon

Some stories do have happy endings.

You may have heard about a recent abduction attempt in Utah. In case you haven't, here's what happened: 12-year-old Mickenzie Smith and her 9-year-old brother Kaiden were feeding some horses, when they were confronted by a man in a pickup truck. This man came up and engaged them in a conversation by telling them that his daughter had lost her dog - would they help him look for it? (This is one of the most common lures that child predators use.) Mickenzie knew instinctively that something was amiss and attempted to leave, taking Kaiden with her. The man grabbed Mickenzie and threw her into his pickup truck and drove off. Kaiden ran to the nearest house to call 911. In the truck, Mickenzie fought, kicking and screaming at her attacker, hitting him in the face, arms, and shoulders until he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled over and told her to get out.

What gave Mickenzie the strength and determination to fight so hard? She and her brother had already discussed this kind of scenario with their parents. You see, Mickenzie and Kaiden live in Utah, not far from the place where Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped several years ago. That abduction prompted Mickenzie's parents to discuss what to do in case someone tried to kidnap her or her brother. That planning, along with Mickenzie's own spirit, probably saved her life.

The same morning Mickenzie was attacked and escaped, I was teaching a self-defense lesson to a brother and sister exactly the same age as Kaiden and Mickenzie. I was attacking them with various chokes and wrist grabs and teaching them not only how to escape the physical hold, but also how to deal with the adrenaline stress that comes over someone when they are suddenly and violently attacked. After the lesson, their father asked, "What if a 6'4", 220 pound man attacked my daughter? How would she have a chance?"

Later that evening I got a call from CNN wanting to do a story on the attempted abduction on Mickenzie Smith. They asked me essentially the same question that father had asked me. I told both CNN and the father the same thing: that there are no guarantees. There was no guarantee when Mickenzie's parents talked to her...but by talking to her, they increased her chances. By training your children in a self-defense system like Krav Maga or some other program, you increase the odds that they will remain safe.

Parents, you do not have the power to make your children absolutely safe. But you DO have it in your power to make them safer. Here are some steps you can take to help prepare them if they are ever confronted with a situation like Mickenzie's:

- Have a plan. Discuss the different types of lures that predators use, and what to do if someone approaches them. A respectful adult will not ask a child for help finding something, he will ask an adult. - Teach them to trust their intuition. You can call it a "weird radar" or an "ick-o-meter" or whatever you like...but your child should know that if she gets a bad feeling from someone, she should listen to that feeling. Tell them it's okay to walk away; teach them to find a trusted adult. If your child cannot find someone he knows and trusts, and must look for a stranger, tell him to look for a mother with children, since mothers will often stay "on the job" until the child is safe. - Get your kids enrolled in a self-defense class. Not only will they learn how to defend themselves, but they will get many other positive benefits like self-esteem, physical fitness, and many other mental benefits. Make sure that the self-defense system is one that is practical, and addresses real life situations.

Our children live in the real world and, unfortunately, the real world contains dangers. As parents, we hope first and foremost that our children never experience what Mickenzie experienced. But hope isn't enough. We must also act. By giving them tools, we just may help our children find, like Mickenzie, a happy ending.