Protecting the Gift

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ FOR ALL PARENTS!
Review: After reading this book, my husband "pestered" me for about 1 1/2 months to read this book. I said I would get around to it after I finished some other books. While I care about my children, I was not thrilled at the prospect of reading scary stories about bad things happening to children and put it off for awhile. Well, after I read it, I understood why he was so persistent. I came away feeling more confident and empowered and realized how important our "gut instincts" are, and how there are some really simple concepts to teach our children without giving them gory details about bad people and what might happen to them. Great book! By the way, my husband has bought about 20 copies already and given them to family, friends and neighbors...that is how strongly he feels about this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: As a retired federal law enforcement official and former instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia, I am familiar with Gavin De Becker and his Mosaic systems. So it should be no surprise that I rated "Protecting The Gift" at 5-stars. This one picks up right where "The Gift of Fear" left off. I was especially interested in his chapter on children at school. During my federal career I was intimately involved in training workers in how to deal with violence in the workplace. I also worked part time in youth programs and before it became popular, I was involved in helping public schools develop safety programs. Presently I am working in the "trenches" in a Northern Virginia high school as a Safety and Security Specialist. I help take the kids off the bus, I'm with them all day and I help put them on the busses at the end of the day. Gavin De Becker wrote MY book when he wrote Protecting The Gift. It is that good! It is a book that should be REQUIRED reading for all school administrators and parents. The part of the book that really gave me a "charge" came on page 21 where De Becker says "If we do all we can to protect children and invest them with a deep belief that they are safe, they will be less afraid, and thus less likely to be violent toward others." I have seen this in action. I have over 35 years as a practitioner in keeping people safe. This book by De Becker is a "a must read."

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to ALL Parents!
Review: Gavin De Becker has compiled a very thorough, interesting, readable, and *essential* guide to keeping children safe in our world. While there are parts of this book that may be unpleasant to read [nobody likes to read about bad things happening to children], it will instruct and prepare parents to keep their children out of harm's reach. I found the book very empowering and have already implemented many of his suggestions. This book also reduces fear in the sense that it helps parents seperate common yet improbable fears [child abduction by strangers] from the very real fears that they may be turning a blind eye to [like molestation by a family member]. It helps parents understand what they need to do to prevent this kind of tragedy and yet also helps them seperate 'media hype' from reality. I am extremely glad to have found this book and read it and I feel that my children are far safer because of it. If every parent would read this book our world would be a much safer place for children!

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to ALL Parents!
Review: Gavin De Becker has compiled a very thorough, interesting, readable, and *essential* guide to keeping children safe in our world. While there are parts of this book that may be unpleasant to read [nobody likes to read about bad things happening to children], it will instruct and prepare parents to keep their children out of harm's reach. I found the book very empowering and have already implemented many of his suggestions. This book also reduces fear in the sense that it helps parents seperate common yet improbable fears [child abduction by strangers] from the very real fears that they may be turning a blind eye to [like molestation by a family member]. It helps parents understand what they need to do to prevent this kind of tragedy and yet also helps them seperate 'media hype' from reality. I am extremely glad to have found this book and read it and I feel that my children are far safer because of it. If every parent would read this book our world would be a much safer place for children!

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for Parents and Educators
Review: Gavin De Becker uses his experience, statistics, and extensive research to develop a method for keeping children safe. His method contradicts accepted wisdom in some areas, but he backs up his method with statistics.

For example, most children are told to find a police officer when they are lost. De Becker recommends instructing children to find someone who looks like a mommy instead. His reasoning is that most children can't tell the difference between a police officer and anyone else in an official looking uniform. Most of the time, a child will pick a man when looking for a police officer. A man is much more likely to harm a child than a woman is. By instructing a child to find someone who looks like a mommy, you are directing your child to find someone who is statistically the least likely to harm them and the most likely to help them.

In addition, De Becker exposes who is most likely to harm a child, and it isn't who the media leads you to think.

I can't say enough about this book. I plan to give it to all my daughter's teachers. I also plan to lobby for safety education based on the concepts in this book rather than traditional "stranger danger" concepts.

Rating:
Summary: If you want to protect your kids - this is the book to read
Review: I admit there were some aspects of this book that illicited a fair amount of fear, but don't let that stop you!! The main point being, once you are aware of the dangers you are better equiped to handle the situation should it arise. I love the fact that De Becker stressed the use of the parents INTUITION and empowered parents to ACT on thier intuition even if it may "seem" irrational. Because of this book I am able to talk to my kids effectively about staying safe and how to avoid having them walk around in a state of fear (stranger danger etc), but have them feel strong and confident enough to deal with a "worst case senario".

The information and research he presented about who the abusers are and how the pretators "prey" on children is something every parent should be aware of and its all here in this book.

Many parents get stuck in the "it wouldn't happen to my child" mind set, and the subject of child abuse is too awful to even think about- which is unfortunate because you can't protect your kids if you don't know what the most likely dangers are. There is no question that this book will help it's readers become SKILLED PROTECTORS of thier children.

Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading
Review: I agree with the Amazon review that this book can be terrifying, but it is necessary. Once you get past this only then can you gain the knowledge that you need to keep yourself and your child safe. Where I do not agree with Amazon's review is when it says that these things "rarely occur." While stranger abduction rarely occurs, sexual abuse among children is sadly VERY common and if unprotected, too likely to occur to our children. This book really debunks some long held myths and shows you signs to look for. It will help you protect yourself and teach you how to show your child to protect herself/himself as well. Sadly, I've recommended this book to countless friends, only a handful are willing to read it. Some are afraid to confront their biggest fears, others are cynical stating "It's only common sense, why would I pay $10 to read that!" Then I ask them "Should your child talk to strangers?" They always answer incorrectly and I tell them they should just cough up the $10. Your child's safety is priceless. $10 is an AMAZINGLY low price to pay to educate yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Another smashing success for Gavin De Becker.....
Review: I almost gave this book four stars, but only because it has a few flaws, where De Becker's THE GIFT OF FEAR was not only flawless, but taught me more than any one book has ever taught me. Still, this is a powerful book. I read it without stopping for sleep, so I can assure you that it is indeed well written.

De Becker shows parents and other adults every facet of possible victimization of children and how to avoid it. When he is teaching his readers, which is always, he uses brilliant examples that we can all relate to. Take this as an example: "I would ask which is sillier: waiting a moment for the next elevator, or placing her child and herself into a soundproof sterel chamber with a stranger she is afraid of?" Succinctly, he teaches, in that one sentence, so much. How many times have all of us pushed ourselves into an elevator with someone who made us afraid?

De Becker's challenge is to empower us as parents, and empower us he does, just as he empowered us in THE GIFT OF FEAR. He instructs us all on using our intuition to make life or death decisions. I can still recall a time when my son, then just very small, and I were staying at a luxurious hotel. We went to the top-floor pool and walked right into a burglary. How I managed to get myself and my son out of there calmly and completely is a testament to De Becker's lessons on the incredible strength of a mother whose baby is threatened.

De Becker teaches us all new ways of thinking and new ways of being and new ways of protecting our children and ourselves from abuse, abduction, violence, crime.

De Becker's appendices are worthwhile, too, with listings of excellent books and important organizations.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a baby, child, or adolescent.

Rating:
Summary: PARENTS - READ THIS BOOK!
Review: I give this book as a gift to all of my friends and family who have or are expecting children. Gavin De Becker is right on the money with this book...you need to read it and listen to your own instints! Well written, to the point and very much needed for our time and for our children!

Rating:
Summary: Must Read ALL Parents
Review: I give this now to all expectant parents. This book is life-changing. As a mother, it posed questions that I have never thought of asking. I now have the guts to ask what is most important in keeping my son safe. deBecker gives parents 'permission' to be assertive parents.

Without frightening us deBecker brings to our attention what we need to know to keep our children safe. He focuses on our instincts and his discussions make such obvious sense.

I'm at the airport posting this review and looking forward to my long flight now that I have this book. Halfway through I simply cannot put it down.
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I have started to give this book as a gift to every new parent I know.Excellent excellent book.