This post brought to you by Wearsafe. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The Frugal Ginger.
I know that a lot of parents have kids heading off to college this year. It is an exciting and worrying time for parents. We hope that we raised them to be strong, safe, and independent but we still worry about them.
I like to think that I was pretty smart about being safe when I was in college. Looking back there were some situations that may not have been the safest but you can get a false sense of security when you live on a college campus.
I remember one night my roommate was going to walk across campus, at night, by herself. I told her I would drive her instead. She was a smart girl, she just wasn’t thinking about safety at the time. It can happen to a lot of girls (and guys).
It is important that we talk to our kids about being safe even though we can’t be there with them. It is a time for them to learn independence but they still need to be cautious. Here are some things you can talk to your son or daughter about before they go off to school.
Don’t go to a party alone. Always go with at least one friend. You never know when things might get out of hand or you have a little too much to drink. If they leave the party, leave with them. Don’t stay by yourself.
Never walk alone at night. Have someone drop you off or walk with you. If you are studying late in another building, you can always call campus security and see if they can give you a lift home. They usually will gladly do so.
Know where the security call boxes are. When you arrive at campus and are being given a tour, take note of where the emergency call boxes are. You never know when you might need to run to one and you want to make sure you head to the nearest one. They have blue lights on them so they are easy to see at night.
Always keep your room locked. You may feel safe being in the dorm but you might be surprised how easy it is to get into the halls. I remember that security was pretty weak on the weekends because people had visitors and no one really checked to make sure they lived there. Make sure all windows and doors are kept locked, this includes the bathroom door if you have a shared bathroom.
Use the Wearsafe App. This is a great device that I wish they had when I was in school. Wearsafe is a device that connects to your phone and will automatically get in touch with selected contacts at the press of a button.
During an emergency, you really don’t have time to find or fumble with your phone, if you can even get to it. You can wear the Wearsafe tag at all times and simply push the button if you are in a bad situation.
It creates a chat group of your selected contacts and they can figure out how to respond or can even call 911 at the push of a button. It will record 60 seconds of what happened right before you pushed the button so that everyone knows what is going on. It also has on-scene audio so they can hear what is happening.
The wearer knows that their contacts are responding because it gives a vibration whenever someone gets your alert. I would recommend adding your parents, roommate, close friends, and campus security as your contacts.
I love how small it is so no one will notice you wearing one. It is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. It comes with a clip so you can wear it or a key ring so you can put it on your key chain.
Also, you do have to push the button with some effort so that you don’t accidentally push it all the time.
This is a great device to keep college kids safe. I think that it’s also a great idea for people who might travel alone, may be in the outdoors a lot, etc.
The service is very affordable, only $5/month and the tag is free. Try it free and see if you think this could help keep your son or daughter safe.
College is a fun time and we don’t want to be constantly nagging our kids to be safe. This is a way to know they are safe even though we can’t be there. We have to let them grow up even though they will always be our babies.
Do you have any other advice for college kids or their parents as the school year starts?
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