Christmas Shopping & Mall Safety Tips

It's that time of year again, when we get to visit the most popular malls in our area and do our Christmas shopping. My years of venturing out during the first three weeks of December have always been pleasant. Although it is crowded, there is a lot of Christmas... Christmas Shopping & Mall Safety Tips By Street Smart Kidz' Steven Baird

It's that time of year again, when we get to visit the most popular malls in our area and do our Christmas shopping. My years of venturing out during the first three weeks of December have always been pleasant. Although it is crowded, there is a lot of Christmas spirit around until about a week before the big day.

But all the effort is worth it when your child sees Santa, opens their gifts and gets to see the relatives from far away. Is there anything in the world, better than sitting down with your kids when they see "The Grinch" or "Rudolph" the first time? Answering all the questions was always my favorite part of Christmas. "How does Santa get in the house"? "Will he be able to find us since we moved"? "Why can't I see the elves, but they can see me"? The kids always seem to get more excited and hyper with every passing day.

It's completely natural for them to not listen on occasion, or be unable to concentrate on what's going on around them.  That's when accidents, or problems can happen.

So when your out, or shopping at the mall, please remember these few tips to keep your Holidays happy and safe.

1. Hold your children's hand tightly in the parking lots and streets, you never know what will catch their eye, and have them darting off between cars or into a crowd.

2. Never leave your children in the car, even if it's "only for a minute".

3. Have you told your kids what to do if you get separated from each other in the mall? they should go to the closest open cash register they see and tell the clerk they are lost and NOT MOVE from that spot NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS.

4. You should call mall Security IMMEDIATELY if you cannot locate them nearby.

5. If they need to use the washroom at the mall, either go in with them, or stand AT the door until they come out, and if it seems like they have been in there a long time, open the door a crack and ask if they are OK.

Visit the Street Smart Kidz website for more Christmas Safety Tips... About Street Smart Kidz: The Street Smart Kid'z program provides information for parents free of charge to help keep their children safe. Visit www.streetsmartkidz.ca for a wealth of Free information including tips, articles, resources, a Free children's ID kit and more! Check out the Tip of the Week Library.