Said It Here

How to talk to kids about trusting the police

Parents must walk a fine line between keeping young children safe from dangerous adults and addressing authority figures like law enforcement. This difficulty leaves parents unsure how to navigate discussions about authority without knowing who to trust or how to keep their little ones safe.

Overview
People affected3 accounts across 1 forum
Workarounds found3 items attempted
Community agreement2,977 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Instructing children to treat strangers in uniform with suspicion
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  2. 2
    Telling children not to speak to police without a lawyer or parent present
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  3. 3
    Teaching children to look for alternative safe adults like store employees or female staff if lost
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In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Parenting3 people · January 2026

“My question for the group is, how do you talk to your child about trusting or distrusting law enforcement or any individuals posed as leaders?”source ↗

Signal_Estimate_23 · r/Parenting · 2,631 upvotes

“As a mom, I so just want to keep my little ones safe and I don't know how to navigate this all.”source ↗

Solongmybestfriend · r/Parenting · 207 upvotes

“It’s a really fine line to walk with talking to your kids about any adult who could be dangerous and in a position of authority.”source ↗

perfect-circles-1983 · r/Parenting · 142 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised