Attempted child abduction in Mornington, Co Meath

[Jedt]

A source in Gardai passed information out over weekend that there was an attempted abduction of two 8 year olds in Mornington over the weekend. I do not like scaremongering but this came from a very reliable source so I wanted to post about it.

The children ran away but still, it is very worrying.

Obviously parents are talking to their children about it and some of the children in our estate were quite upset yesterday when they were talking about it. Our 7 year old in particular was very upset and we had to reassure her to settle her for bed last night.

If we find out any more about it, will let you know. But parents, be aware.

[Jedt]

Inse Bay residents association posted a warning that there was a bald man and a woman in a car trying to get kids in to it for a ‘Spin’ over the weekend in Laytown too.

We are not far from there so have been warning our children to be vigilant, without scaring the bejeepers out of them. Which is not easy.

I might actually call the Gardai for some advice on how to talk to the children about this.

If anyone has any tips on dealing with this kind of thing, please share.

I heard the people in the car asked the children to come for spin to Drogheda and I have heard of people asking children to help them find a lost dog, so that’s one to warn little ones about.

[CA Coaching]

This can be very difficult and upsetting to discuss as you said. I would suggest just having a general chat with your kids about keeping themselves safe. Just asking them, "What should you do if a stranger asks you a question?" What you are actually doing is checking that they know what to do and you are also putting it back in the front of their mind without delving into the specifics of someone currently trying to abduct children in the area, which is extremely scary.

We have always told our kids that they are never to go anywhere, with anyone (including family members) unless they (the kids) have come and said it to us. This may sound extreme but it serves the purpose of highlighting that they don’t go with anyone until they ask us themselves. It doesn’t take much for a stranger to say "Oh I said it to your mum and she said it was okay".

Hope this helps.

Allen

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