Southwest PA Self-defense Network Blog

 There is a concept that is foundational for children's safety that parents must understand - How much can they participate in their own safety ?   As parents, we give directions and orders to our children with the expectation they'll follow those directions and it will keep them safe.  By following our directives, they participate in their own safety.   But parents will give unreasonable directives that are age inappropriate; simply put, the kids are too young to understand and follow them.  " You should be watching and staying close to me. Don't wander off."  Good for an 6 year old, terrible for a 3 year old.  " Don't talk to strangers." Bad advice to start with and very difficult for children to put in practice. Even adults can be suckered in with a smooth sounding adult how much harder for a child to differentiate between good person and con person ? "Don't open the door."  What if it's the police or fire department bagging on d...

There are enough cases of kids being kidnapped by force or a lure that parents should keep a watch. There is a philosophical point - at what age can your kids participate in their own safety ? It is unreasonable to expect a 5 and 7 year old to " stay close" to mommy and daddy so the parent have to do a better job.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9rqjT3Yzsw    DEAR ABBY: I'm married and the mother of two kids, ages 5 and 7. My husband is a very involved father and partner in our marriage. My complaint is that he's too trusting of other people and doesn't keep an eye on the kids in public places. An example: He'll take them to the grocery store and let them hang out in the toy department while he's getting groceries. They will be 100 yards away from each other. I have told him several times that I'm not comfortable with this, yet he continues to do it. I'm not sure what to do about it anymore. Have you any suggestions? -- NERVOUS IN NEBRASKA DEAR N...

  Topgun: An American story. 320 pages; c2019 This book is told from the perspective of one of the founding members of the Topgun training program for naval aviators. As most stories go it starts with his household and upbringing and such, moves into his joining the navy, his early career as an aviator and his experiences over Vietnam.  It ends with him retiring after commanding his own aircraft carrier.  The book is interesting with a ton of names mentioned for recognition and history but it weighs it down a bit. 50 years later the audience doesn't care that much about who was the hotest stick in your squadron.  It does have a nice first hand discussion about the air war in Vietnam and the politics behind who they could and could not bomb. It also has some nice first hand accounts of some of the military actions that have taken place over the years.  It also discusses some of the classic naval fighter jets they have implemented over the years especially focusin...