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Linda's Story I
went to my uncle's once a week and was told, "Go sit on Uncle Ray's lap.
He wants to give you a hug and a kiss" and I hated
it because I knew what was going to follow and all those things that nobody else
saw and so I was made to do that. I didn't feel like
I had a choice. I certainly didn't feel like I could pop up and say, "Excuse
me. Do you understand what you're telling me? Do you know what you're telling
me it's okay for him to do? Because it's not just a hug, it's not just a kiss."
If these kids learn now that they can say "No",
they don't want you to hug them, then they'll also learn that they can say "No"
to other things and protect themselves. My
own children have listened to the music and we've talked, I talked to both of
them about the Yello Dyno presentation they saw. This is
such an important program, given all the things that kids are faced with today.
They need these tools to build themselves, build
their own self-esteem because they're not getting it from extended family.
They don't have the roots and they're trying to
build a life above ground and there's nothing below the ground, there's no roots
to stand on and I think that this helps them develop their own roots,
as opposed to depending on family and extended family to build those roots for
them. They need to do it themselves and they need all the tools we can give them
and this is a very important tool for them. My,
nine year old, sitting next to me, just said, "Those are the seeds, Mom."
That's it. We can't give them the roots, so we're giving them the seeds to grow
their own.
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Listen to Linda in her own voice.
(Audio coming soon.) |
Kristine's
Story
We have three girls ages 6, 4 and 1 1/2. My husband,
Wayne and I are both teachers. I work with children who have a learning disability
and Wayne is a science teacher.
Last spring our parent group had a guest
speaker, Julie LeMoine. She shared The Yello Dyno knowledge
and products that help parents prevent abduction and abuse of their children.
I was very unfamiliar with the subject. I thought that when kids are little you
don’t have to think about talking to them about these things. After listening
to Julie, I decided to start teaching my girls right now. I purchased the
music, Can’t Fool Me! and my kids love the tape.
My oldest daughter, Brook, was five and she just picked right up on the music.
Because of the lyrics, she would bring up questions in every day conversation
and I could answer her in such a comfortable way. She wouldn’t be scared.
She was so interested in learning. Yello Dyno really helped me open up the doors
of communication. There are so many images and phrases that helped her
learn. I really liked the image of the apple. Where most apples look good but
occasionally one has a worm inside.That was a wonderful way to express that some
people who look good on the outside may not be good on the inside. Personal safety
is a hard concept for little children but you have made it so they can understand.
I now cover everything with my kids.
What surprised
me the most was that I needed the Yello Dyno knowledge to protect myself.
The high school, where I teach, is on the outskirts of our small rural town. I
like to take a walk at lunchtime. I remember going down
the road, by myself and this man stopped his truck near me. He stepped out and
came over. He was a lot bigger than me. He wanted help with directions. He made
me feel really uncomfortable. He was very aggressive and he kept trying to engage
me in conversation. He had the nerve to reach down and touch the necklace on my
chest and that really hit home. I knew I could be in real trouble. Then I remembered
the phrase"take three steps back" and that’s what I did. I put
distance between us and then I got out of there. My confident action ended the
encounter. He was gone in no time. I shared this experience with Brook.
She told her friends how mom took three steps back and got away. Brook has grown
up a lot in the last year and I can see that this has given her a confidence.
I want to raise my daughters confident enough to be able to say "no"
and be safe when they are teens and dating. You know once you understand how to
help your own children you can’t help but share it with other parents and
children.
Yello Dyno has been a blessing altogether. Really it’s been
wonderful. Thank you.
Kristine | |
Angie's Story One
day last year, my three children and I had been walking through the park. There
was a big festival going on and there were probably thousands of people. I turned
around and my daughter had walked one way and we had walked the other.
I panicked because I didn't see her anywhere. Fortunately she knew what
to do. She found a police officer and told him, " Her mommy was lost, but
it was okay because she'd be back real soon!" It was
almost verbatim quoting the words from the song and it just warmed my heart that
she knew what to do at the age of four. She wasn't scared. I was the one
who was in hysterics and crying and it's so funny because she looked at me and
said, "It's okay, Mom." And she started laughing and she said, "That's
just like the song. You'll be laughing and crying. I never understood that, but
now I know what it means!" and to me, I thought that was kind of funny that
that was the part she decided to understand at that particular moment because
the other just sunk in and that was that one part of the song she didn't understand.
Why would mom laugh and cry at the same time? Well, I was so happy to see her,
yet so hysterical for losing her.
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Listen to Angie in her own voice.
(Audio coming soon.) |
Joanna's Story
My daughter, Joanna, is 12 years old and goes to the 6th grade at the middle
school. After school, Joanna goes over to the elementary playground. It is only
a block away. She likes it there because it is a really fun playground. There
are always teachers on the playground until 4:30. Joanna waits there for me or
my brother, Daryl, to pick her up.
On this day she was walking with two
friends to the elementary school playground. The two friends decided to go to
Burger King so they turned left. Joanna went on by herself.
When the other kids were out of sight, she saw a man who made her feel uncomfortable.
He seemed to be following her. Before she knew it, he was walking next to her.
He looked around 40 years old and was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white
t-shirt. He had a small afro hair style. He tried to engage her in a conversation
and walked along with her. He asked her, " Are you walking home?" She
said, "No." After that, she didn't answer when he asked her questions.
She knew not to talk to him. She knew to "cut the conversation." He
said, "Your books must be heavy. Do you want a ride?" She started to
feel really scared. She began walking faster. Then she remembered, get "three
steps away and run like the wind!" And that's what she did. She ran
like the wind till she was inside the gate to the fenced in playground. There
she felt safe. She never looked back to see where he was.
When I came
to pick her up, I noticed right away that something was wrong. She told me what
happened and we notified the principals and then the school security spoke with
us. The principals said they would make sure everyone was alerted to the danger.
Joanna and I have listened many times to The Can't
Fool Me! CD. The line "take three steps back and run like the wind!"
came right back to her when she needed it. Joanna laughed when she told
her Uncle Daryl how she ran like the wind! She feels good about herself for doing
the right thing. She is more confident and feels she now knows better how to take
care of herself. I have told her many times to watch out
for strangers but the words to Yello Dyno's song, "Tricky People" are
what she remembered. I'm so thankful I took the time to teach her how to
stay safe. Really, I never wanted to think it might happen to my child but it
did. Thank God she's safe. Anita
P.S.
It is particularly scary to think that this could happen in a very middle class
neighborhood on a street with three schools and lots of adults watching out for
children. Knowing that Joanna has the personal knowledge to protect herself
is what makes me feel that she is safe when I am not with her.
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