It’s not always easy to get your loved ones onboard with safety and self-defense. Here are five tips for helping your daughter make self-defense an integral part of her lifestyle.
1. Small, Consistent Lessons
If you try to teach someone everything you know, you will end up teaching them nothing. Small snippets of information are easy to consume, retain and implement.
Don’t be patronizing and know the best time to communicate. Let’s say your daughter comes home at 1am in the morning and is hysterical because she had just been approached by strangers while pumping gas on the way home. That’s not the time to lecture about never letting her tank go below half empty and the safety of getting gas during the day. Consider letting her get some rest and time to think about what happened. Chances are she will realize her mistake and when you talk to her about it, you will be reinforcing what she has already concluded.
2. Lead by Example
Practice what you preach. It’s never too early to lead by example. Do not wait until your daughter is a teenager getting ready to leave for college. Educate yourself and implement your own personal safety plan. Educate, train and integrate self-defense into your lifestyle.
3. Don’t Hyper Focus on the Physical
Often times parents will send their daughter to a self-defense class in the hopes that she will learn a few “moves” that will keep her safe. However, most conflicts can be avoided before they turn physical. If a conflict does turn physical, the odds of coming out unharmed are greatly diminished. Focus on mindset, awareness and avoidance. Mindset is one of the most powerful weapons when it comes to self-defense.
4. Make It Social
Generally speaking, teenagers are social and want to have fun. Make self-defense fun and interactive. Enroll your daughter in a class and give her the option of taking a friend or two. The added benefit is that long after the class is over she will have a training partner.
5. Have Realistic Expectations
Mindset, lifestyle changes and acute awareness do not happen overnight. Stay consistent and use positive reinforcement when discussing self-defense.
Remember, consistency is key. There are no days off when it comes to self-defense of ourselves and our loved ones.
