1. Create time with your children to share with you both the good and bad experiences they may have experienced while at school.
2. Organize tours, visits to the beach or walks to have ample time with your children in order to bridge any gap that could be between you and your children.
3. Engage your children on academic performance, targets and next plans.
4. Take time to discover your children’s passion and capabilities. Support them to achieve their future dreams.
5. Interest your children in important conversations such as investments, saving, money making ventures/businesses, farming, climate change, health and governance issues among others.
6. Engage children on sexuality education. Information to be shared with children should be age appropriate.
7. Limit children’s visits to friends, neighbours, shops, shopping malls and relatives’ homes. This is meant to protect them from any sexual and physical abuse.
8. Monitor and watch out for the vampires especially the male vampires in your home. Remember that defilers and child abusers can also be in your homes.
9. Be mindful of what children watch on Television. Limit the time children spend watching TV and engage them in household chores as well.
10. Ensure that the children get a balanced diet in order to have a break from the school menu. This helps in both the physical and cognitive development of the child.
11. Dress your children appropriately so that predators don’t mistake them for being adults (men and women) yet they are still children. Remember that both boys and girls can be defiled.
12. Be exemplary to your children.
13. Carry your children along with you to church. A life without God is a life without purpose.
14. Above all, give your children unconditional love; the same way your God loves you unconditionally.
ACP MAUREEN ATUHAIRE
Ag CP CHILD AND FAMILY PROTECTION DEPARTMENT-UPF
Source: Uganda Police Force