Great tips and conversation, thank you! Depending on where you are, training to safely concealed carry can be a helpful skill. My husband (a Certified Safety Professional) and I have a training company where we train ordinary people to be safe and confident. Entertain Safety Firearms Training - Based outside Houston, TX.
We have trails starting right behind my house. I never really see other people on there. I also live in a stste where you can carry concealed withoyt a permit.
Thank you for this. I haven’t had issues out hiking, but I think about situational awareness a lot because I have had numerous situations like this both with my toddlers and by myself when in stores, parking lots, and parks before, one including being stalked to my vehicle. I really like the idea of running these drills with your kids.
Oof. Stalked to a vehicle?! Lord, have mercy. I'm learning this is more of an "all of life" precaution and not just the trail. I'm certainly thinking through the safety habits we might need to practice for parking lots, walking through the city, etc.!
Sorry you had this experience. I just listened to a talk about trying to give our kids more opportunities in elementary school to walk the dog alone or go to a nearby store but with the risk of creepers, i have a hard time aspiring to that.
If necessary and if possible, go to the trails at a time when Dad can go along. Or Grandpa, an uncle, a teenage nephew, whoever you have. It's not the same as a carefree morning with just the kids, but it's a safety measure.
Yes! This is our plan now which means we can only enjoy our favourite spots on the weekends but with much more peace of mind (and the same emergency habits).
I'm so sorry you've had such terrifying experiences, especially because you've spoken so fondly of your trail adventures with your children. It's inspiring to hear that your diligent work on those trail habits has paid off in such a scary situation though! Growing up, my mom had story after story about how she either evaded someone following her home or fought her way out of a scary situation because my grandma worked two jobs so she was left to walk to school and around town alone. She taught me to always be vigilant and prepared, which I'm grateful for, but it also instilled a fear in me that I've had a hard time shaking, especially since becoming a mom. We often walk trails at a state park with a local CM hiking group, but I haven't worked up the courage and confidence yet to attempt a trail alone with my girls. I'm hopeful that through prayer and preparedness, for myself and my girls, we can attempt it someday!
Sorry, this has happened to you. Sad to say, the city where I live I don’t even feel comfortable taking 4 littles to our nearby open space park or on a walk without my husband. Partly to unpredictable creepy folk and also due to bad encounters with dogs from negligent dog owners. I like your whistle idea because some of the time it is just that I feel too out of control with so many littles. We do hikes and more stuff like that on the weekends with him. (It gets him out too which is great for his mental well being.) What I do right now for nature walks in go to our botanical garden. It’s several sprawling acres, public, but generally not crowded. It isn’t a wild trail…but it has allowed us to get outside for several hours every week and observe beautiful and natural things. I’m glad you talked about this. There is so much goodness and beauty surrounding us, but not everything in this world is pleasant meadows unfortunately.
Dogs! This is a thing we've experienced in our city parks too!! We rarely go to the city playgrounds/green spaces...so now, where does one go?! Aye. A botanical garden is a fantastic suggestion! I'm going to look up some in our area!
@@thecommonplacehomeschoolthe local Botanical Garden is our go-to as well. 170 acres, some is super manicured but some is wild with nature trails. This gives us a very safe and friendly place to observe nature and get sunshine on a frequent basis when my husband isn't available for a nature hike. Most Botanical Gardens have a reciprocal relationship with other gardens in the country, so you have that as a bonus.
I absolutely agree with being prepared with more than pocketknives and pepper spray. There is too much at stake and these days this is a very frequent occurrence. Thank you for sharing this with us! It’s easy to forget that this can happen to us.
Thank you for sharing, the whistle is a fantastic idea because I am often shouting my boys names! Which could also lure them to the bad guy if they know their names as well. Thank you for sharing, getting a whistle. I also need to schedule my appointment for my fingerprints for my conceal carry.
I’m sitting next to my husband while I watch this and he works on his laptop. He reached over, paused the video during the whistle explanation and said “I don’t know who you’re watching but I’m envisioning her blowing the whistle like Boromir and all the fellowship running to him” I wish I could post his reenactment because it was pretty great!
BAH. I laughed out loud at this. To be honest, it's totally like that but with a smidge of Band of Brothers because when I *really* want their attention, I call them "Easy Company" and maybe say, "ELEVENSIES AT HOME!"
You have solid steps in place to flee from a bad situation. I feel for you being away from your treasured trails right now. My hiking friend's voice can wake the dead but a whistle sounds like a good investment for when we are by ourselves. It is becoming increasingly a concern that we do not share even thumbnail's worth of morals with strangers as we once did (say, when I was a child). It is an area to apply great discernment and prayer. Thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy your trails again soon!
I "hear", all of the time, that kids are statistically safer than in my generation's childhood and the one before that. I was a latch-key kid who roamed the neighbourhood and beyond for hours every day without any parental oversight...but I can't imagine doing that today even with the possible statistics.
Thank you for sharing. I have hiked by myself with my 7 kids infant to 13 for years, but never thought much about this. I will have to pray about it and see how we can best utilize these or similar tactics. We visit a variety of state parks and rarely the same ones more than twice in a year for hiking. Praise the Lord we have not had situations like this. I've had more worries and issues in city parks that required this kind of preparation but then we are near our vehicle. Though it worries me on my dawn walks in town and the country side.
So, I've been wondering about our trail system's proximity to our city...and what that means for people wandering over. I love walking and running but after some terrible things happened in the city during runners' hours (dawn and dusk), I've not been able to enjoy those either! Gah! All the joy ruined by a few situations.
When I was pregnant with my second, me and my toddler were at a park with other moms and kids around- a man approached us and told us an active shooter was at the nearby school. I flagged down an officer on my way out of the parking lot, and the officer said that that’s the man they were looking for. Now with my double stroller sitch, I have a REALLY hard time going anywhere public without others around
This was so helpful, thank you!! My toddler, dog, and I go on traiils all the time! I have never had a creepy situation, but I definitely want to start teaching him these things early just incase.
Can’t lie. This is one of the reasons I have been scared to take my kids to the trail. A few years ago one of the main trails in our city had a shooter situation. Haven’t been able to shake the fear.
I didn't want to add fear for anyone but this is a necessary precaution for any woman alone in the woods with kids. It's just reality. But I understand your pause! Like I said, we've not been back after this last incident.
@@thecommonplacehomeschool that’s the world we live in. We plan to try and get comfortable with some of the trails closer to our home in the next coming weeks. Praying the adventure continues for y’all soon.
Glad to see this video. We just moved and have a state park in our backyard. We went in the trail the other day and there was a very creepy man. Luckily my husband was with us but I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t with us. It has definitely prompted me to think about safety and protection and that I need to get some!
This is something I've been much more cognizant of lately. There was a kidnapping attempt (by a woman) at a trail we were at days earlier, and one of the most popular trails near us had a man exposing himself to people. I am definitely going to go buy a whistle. My kids always love to run ahead and I think the whistle is such a smart idea.
BLEH. PEOPLE. WHY. My kids love to run ahead too! I've also shared how the trail is the place I feel most comfortable giving them more freedom and allowing them to practice "leveling up" to more responsibility with things like hiking parallel to me (can't see them but can hear them, you know?). But now I'm wondering: are those good ideas?!
Not liking this video because i like this topic, but it's such an important discussion to have! I'm new to the whole taking my child hiking alone thing (he's a toddler) and I'm currently 6 months pregnant with my 2nd, so you gave me some things to ponder to prepare and be a more protective mom because i have the tendency to be very laid back and trusting.... I don't want to take that risk when it comes to the safety of my children!
I'm the most laidback on the trail! In fact, it's partly why I love being out there! I'm my favorite "me", if you will. But I think we can maintain that freedom and protection...just need to up my game a bit now.
I'm sorry to hear this happened to you, although it sounds like you and your children were as prepared as possible. Ever since an assault and attempted kidnapping at our local park, I've avoided it and a few other more isolated parks unless we're with a big group.
I completely understand! We're only going to our favourite trails with my husband-which feels like a major bummer Mon-Fri. Especially as we enter creek play season...
I usually won’t take my son hiking unless my husband is with us, for this very reason. But thank you so much for sharing this information because it gives me more confidence that with the right preparation, we could enjoy hiking as part of our homeschooling day - even without dad ☺️
We're doing the same now! At least for a little bit. I don't know if this last time was a "last straw" situation that finally broke my confidence or if it was the specifics (making threats with foul language and being in between me and the kids) but, for now, with dad seems wisest.
Thank you for sharing this. I'm sorry you guys experienced this. My husband and I have been having a lot of conversations about this as we contemplate moving to a bigger city for my husband's work. How to balance our goal of being outside as much as possible and enjoying creation with real safety concerns? I don't have any answers that don't have real downsides.
I have always felt safer in the woods than in the city parks/green spaces! It finally hit me that if I can walk to our trail system from my house in half an hour, so can everyone else in the city.
Thank you so much for this. I have whistle trained dogs but haven’t thought about the kids. Is your whistle as loud as the type a phy Ed teacher uses? I already have the “silent” dog whistles (not really silent but also probably not loud enough).
I love 5 mins from the park where the AMBER ALERT for a little girl Charlotte in upstate NY. This is a real issue but being able to be aware of the dark world and able to remain safe in it with out hiding from the beauty of it. Good word Autumn! Can I ask for the link to your whistle? Do your kids also have whistles or just Mom?
Oh, I do hope they found her. Lord, have mercy. Whistle: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079TL6V8C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My kids do have whistles! They're a must if they're going to explore on their own (but still as a sibling pod). When I two-whistle, they two-whistle back as the response. They can also SOS whistle to me (one long) should there be any trouble, but they've never needed to. We have a rule if they see * anyone * on the trail, they have to run back to me.
Praise God, they found her a couple days later. .. we have not been back to the park she was taken from since and we were not even there when it happened. I really appreciated your video and the whistle idea is such a good one.
@@thecommonplacehomeschoolThank you for the link! I was just talking to my husband yesterday about wanting to get a whistle after failing to have my voice heard over a playground to get his attention and thinking about our kids and attention at playgrounds and trails. You mentioned your kids have their own whistles... How do they keep them secured to their person? Lanyard? Something else? Also, how old were they when you gave them their own?
@@jjbeanld Just lanyards! We started giving them when they were 5, 3.5, and 1.5. My youngest couldn't really blow it hard enough to make a sound which was intentional so he could have one but not throw off the whistle calls.
So sad to hear. I've always felt really safe on the trail (much more so than our city parks!) and hope to figure out some safety measures to get back soon.
Great tips and conversation, thank you! Depending on where you are, training to safely concealed carry can be a helpful skill. My husband (a Certified Safety Professional) and I have a training company where we train ordinary people to be safe and confident. Entertain Safety Firearms Training - Based outside Houston, TX.
^Texas moms take note!
I've been looking in our area too!
I just looked y’all up. I live right down the road from your place of business!
@@KaleighReed-jj6ck Awesome!!
We have trails starting right behind my house. I never really see other people on there. I also live in a stste where you can carry concealed withoyt a permit.
I am so sorry. 😢 Such an awful thing to experience. That whistle idea is genius. This makes me incredibly thankful for our own woods to explore.
I hope the whistle is a help to you! Some women in Common House mentioned that they've had trouble even on their own properties! I was shocked.
@@thecommonplacehomeschool thank you for sharing, I will definitely keep an eye out.
@@thecommonplacehomeschool Doesn't shock me. It happens more than people like to think, unfortunately.
Thank you for this. I haven’t had issues out hiking, but I think about situational awareness a lot because I have had numerous situations like this both with my toddlers and by myself when in stores, parking lots, and parks before, one including being stalked to my vehicle. I really like the idea of running these drills with your kids.
Oof. Stalked to a vehicle?! Lord, have mercy.
I'm learning this is more of an "all of life" precaution and not just the trail. I'm certainly thinking through the safety habits we might need to practice for parking lots, walking through the city, etc.!
Sorry you had this experience. I just listened to a talk about trying to give our kids more opportunities in elementary school to walk the dog alone or go to a nearby store but with the risk of creepers, i have a hard time aspiring to that.
I hear that this generation is statistically the safest but we've racked up enough of these encounters for me, anecdotally, to disagree.
If necessary and if possible, go to the trails at a time when Dad can go along. Or Grandpa, an uncle, a teenage nephew, whoever you have. It's not the same as a carefree morning with just the kids, but it's a safety measure.
Yes! This is our plan now which means we can only enjoy our favourite spots on the weekends but with much more peace of mind (and the same emergency habits).
I'm so sorry you've had such terrifying experiences, especially because you've spoken so fondly of your trail adventures with your children. It's inspiring to hear that your diligent work on those trail habits has paid off in such a scary situation though!
Growing up, my mom had story after story about how she either evaded someone following her home or fought her way out of a scary situation because my grandma worked two jobs so she was left to walk to school and around town alone. She taught me to always be vigilant and prepared, which I'm grateful for, but it also instilled a fear in me that I've had a hard time shaking, especially since becoming a mom.
We often walk trails at a state park with a local CM hiking group, but I haven't worked up the courage and confidence yet to attempt a trail alone with my girls. I'm hopeful that through prayer and preparedness, for myself and my girls, we can attempt it someday!
I think the numbers aspect is very helpful! I've been Googling to find a summer hike group so hopefully we can explore some new spots safely!
Sorry, this has happened to you. Sad to say, the city where I live I don’t even feel comfortable taking 4 littles to our nearby open space park or on a walk without my husband. Partly to unpredictable creepy folk and also due to bad encounters with dogs from negligent dog owners. I like your whistle idea because some of the time it is just that I feel too out of control with so many littles. We do hikes and more stuff like that on the weekends with him. (It gets him out too which is great for his mental well being.)
What I do right now for nature walks in go to our botanical garden. It’s several sprawling acres, public, but generally not crowded. It isn’t a wild trail…but it has allowed us to get outside for several hours every week and observe beautiful and natural things.
I’m glad you talked about this. There is so much goodness and beauty surrounding us, but not everything in this world is pleasant meadows
unfortunately.
Dogs! This is a thing we've experienced in our city parks too!! We rarely go to the city playgrounds/green spaces...so now, where does one go?! Aye.
A botanical garden is a fantastic suggestion! I'm going to look up some in our area!
@@thecommonplacehomeschoolthe local Botanical Garden is our go-to as well. 170 acres, some is super manicured but some is wild with nature trails. This gives us a very safe and friendly place to observe nature and get sunshine on a frequent basis when my husband isn't available for a nature hike. Most Botanical Gardens have a reciprocal relationship with other gardens in the country, so you have that as a bonus.
@@KHomestead Amazing. Thank you for this extra information!
I urge you to look into what you are actually saying when you refer to children as the L word.
Hint: gross "adult" stuff
I absolutely agree with being prepared with more than pocketknives and pepper spray. There is too much at stake and these days this is a very frequent occurrence. Thank you for sharing this with us! It’s easy to forget that this can happen to us.
I'm definitely guilty of the "Well, it'll probably be safe," mentality.
Thank you for sharing, the whistle is a fantastic idea because I am often shouting my boys names! Which could also lure them to the bad guy if they know their names as well.
Thank you for sharing, getting a whistle. I also need to schedule my appointment for my fingerprints for my conceal carry.
Right? I do think the whistle really shines as a trail habit!
I’m sitting next to my husband while I watch this and he works on his laptop. He reached over, paused the video during the whistle explanation and said “I don’t know who you’re watching but I’m envisioning her blowing the whistle like Boromir and all the fellowship running to him”
I wish I could post his reenactment because it was pretty great!
BAH. I laughed out loud at this. To be honest, it's totally like that but with a smidge of Band of Brothers because when I *really* want their attention, I call them "Easy Company" and maybe say, "ELEVENSIES AT HOME!"
You have solid steps in place to flee from a bad situation. I feel for you being away from your treasured trails right now. My hiking friend's voice can wake the dead but a whistle sounds like a good investment for when we are by ourselves. It is becoming increasingly a concern that we do not share even thumbnail's worth of morals with strangers as we once did (say, when I was a child). It is an area to apply great discernment and prayer. Thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy your trails again soon!
I "hear", all of the time, that kids are statistically safer than in my generation's childhood and the one before that. I was a latch-key kid who roamed the neighbourhood and beyond for hours every day without any parental oversight...but I can't imagine doing that today even with the possible statistics.
Thank you for sharing. I have hiked by myself with my 7 kids infant to 13 for years, but never thought much about this. I will have to pray about it and see how we can best utilize these or similar tactics. We visit a variety of state parks and rarely the same ones more than twice in a year for hiking. Praise the Lord we have not had situations like this. I've had more worries and issues in city parks that required this kind of preparation but then we are near our vehicle. Though it worries me on my dawn walks in town and the country side.
So, I've been wondering about our trail system's proximity to our city...and what that means for people wandering over.
I love walking and running but after some terrible things happened in the city during runners' hours (dawn and dusk), I've not been able to enjoy those either! Gah! All the joy ruined by a few situations.
When I was pregnant with my second, me and my toddler were at a park with other moms and kids around- a man approached us and told us an active shooter was at the nearby school. I flagged down an officer on my way out of the parking lot, and the officer said that that’s the man they were looking for. Now with my double stroller sitch, I have a REALLY hard time going anywhere public without others around
Oh wow. It hurts that one situation can change an entire part of your daily rhythm!
You could also walk the trails in groups--plan around having other family joining you, maybe invite a different friend/family each day? Stay safe!
That's what we've been doing! Definitely feels safer!
This was so helpful, thank you!!
My toddler, dog, and I go on traiils all the time! I have never had a creepy situation, but I definitely want to start teaching him these things early just incase.
Ah, the dog is a great idea actually. Keep him/her with you!
Can’t lie. This is one of the reasons I have been scared to take my kids to the trail. A few years ago one of the main trails in our city had a shooter situation. Haven’t been able to shake the fear.
I didn't want to add fear for anyone but this is a necessary precaution for any woman alone in the woods with kids. It's just reality. But I understand your pause! Like I said, we've not been back after this last incident.
@@thecommonplacehomeschool that’s the world we live in. We plan to try and get comfortable with some of the trails closer to our home in the next coming weeks. Praying the adventure continues for y’all soon.
Glad to see this video. We just moved and have a state park in our backyard. We went in the trail the other day and there was a very creepy man. Luckily my husband was with us but I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t with us. It has definitely prompted me to think about safety and protection and that I need to get some!
Bleh. Welcome to the neighborhood?
This is something I've been much more cognizant of lately. There was a kidnapping attempt (by a woman) at a trail we were at days earlier, and one of the most popular trails near us had a man exposing himself to people.
I am definitely going to go buy a whistle. My kids always love to run ahead and I think the whistle is such a smart idea.
BLEH. PEOPLE. WHY.
My kids love to run ahead too! I've also shared how the trail is the place I feel most comfortable giving them more freedom and allowing them to practice "leveling up" to more responsibility with things like hiking parallel to me (can't see them but can hear them, you know?). But now I'm wondering: are those good ideas?!
Not liking this video because i like this topic, but it's such an important discussion to have! I'm new to the whole taking my child hiking alone thing (he's a toddler) and I'm currently 6 months pregnant with my 2nd, so you gave me some things to ponder to prepare and be a more protective mom because i have the tendency to be very laid back and trusting.... I don't want to take that risk when it comes to the safety of my children!
I'm the most laidback on the trail! In fact, it's partly why I love being out there! I'm my favorite "me", if you will. But I think we can maintain that freedom and protection...just need to up my game a bit now.
@@thecommonplacehomeschool I hope you keep us posted! Have you taken self defence courses?
I'm sorry to hear this happened to you, although it sounds like you and your children were as prepared as possible.
Ever since an assault and attempted kidnapping at our local park, I've avoided it and a few other more isolated parks unless we're with a big group.
I completely understand! We're only going to our favourite trails with my husband-which feels like a major bummer Mon-Fri. Especially as we enter creek play season...
I usually won’t take my son hiking unless my husband is with us, for this very reason. But thank you so much for sharing this information because it gives me more confidence that with the right preparation, we could enjoy hiking as part of our homeschooling day - even without dad ☺️
We're doing the same now! At least for a little bit. I don't know if this last time was a "last straw" situation that finally broke my confidence or if it was the specifics (making threats with foul language and being in between me and the kids) but, for now, with dad seems wisest.
Thank you for sharing this. I'm sorry you guys experienced this. My husband and I have been having a lot of conversations about this as we contemplate moving to a bigger city for my husband's work. How to balance our goal of being outside as much as possible and enjoying creation with real safety concerns? I don't have any answers that don't have real downsides.
I have always felt safer in the woods than in the city parks/green spaces! It finally hit me that if I can walk to our trail system from my house in half an hour, so can everyone else in the city.
Well spoken, Autumn.
Thank you. Not something we want to think about but certainly have to.
Thank you so much for this.
I have whistle trained dogs but haven’t thought about the kids. Is your whistle as loud as the type a phy Ed teacher uses? I already have the “silent” dog whistles (not really silent but also probably not loud enough).
It is as loud as a phys ed teacher!
I love 5 mins from the park where the AMBER ALERT for a little girl Charlotte in upstate NY. This is a real issue but being able to be aware of the dark world and able to remain safe in it with out hiding from the beauty of it. Good word Autumn! Can I ask for the link to your whistle? Do your kids also have whistles or just Mom?
Oh, I do hope they found her. Lord, have mercy.
Whistle: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079TL6V8C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My kids do have whistles! They're a must if they're going to explore on their own (but still as a sibling pod). When I two-whistle, they two-whistle back as the response. They can also SOS whistle to me (one long) should there be any trouble, but they've never needed to. We have a rule if they see * anyone * on the trail, they have to run back to me.
Praise God, they found her a couple days later. .. we have not been back to the park she was taken from since and we were not even there when it happened. I really appreciated your video and the whistle idea is such a good one.
@@thecommonplacehomeschoolThank you for the link! I was just talking to my husband yesterday about wanting to get a whistle after failing to have my voice heard over a playground to get his attention and thinking about our kids and attention at playgrounds and trails. You mentioned your kids have their own whistles... How do they keep them secured to their person? Lanyard? Something else? Also, how old were they when you gave them their own?
@@jjbeanld Just lanyards! We started giving them when they were 5, 3.5, and 1.5. My youngest couldn't really blow it hard enough to make a sound which was intentional so he could have one but not throw off the whistle calls.
Important to talk about! (Even if it's uncomfortable 🥵)
Hopefully it helps!
I had a similar experience a couple months back at a secluded park i had taken my toddler, and I also haven't been back yet :(
So sad to hear. I've always felt really safe on the trail (much more so than our city parks!) and hope to figure out some safety measures to get back soon.
Thank you 💕
You're welcome!
I am also a whistle/head map mom
I think they're absolutely necessary.