11-year-old girl was asked by a strange man to get in his car — her quick 'code word' response saved the day
Parents should teach their kids special ways to deal with potential danger. A girl's family had done that to safeguard their kids from strangers who could pose a threat. The trick came in handy for 11-year-old Maddison Raines when a stranger tried to kidnap her and asked her to get in his car. The person told her that her brother had been in a serious accident and that's why he was there to pick her up, per Good Morning America.
The girl's parents had taught her a code word in case she came across a stranger who told her that her family had sent them for her. It actually ended up saving her from a possible abduction. "I was scared because if I had hopped in, I didn't know what he would do to me," Maddison expressed. The girl was walking in the local park with a friend when a man in a white car approached her. The girl recounted that the man was covering his face with his hands. "He told me that my brother has been in a serious accident and he told me to come pick you up." Maddison was a little confused at first, but then she remembered something.
"I asked him what the code was because my family has a code and he didn't know it. So I ran," the girl pointed out. "I just remembered the code word and then I asked it. He didn't know it, so he drove off and I ran into the park. I ran straight home and told my grandma." Maddison shared that her family had taught her the code word and it was something that they had started using very recently to avoid such situations. "She could show other kids that it's okay to ask that question and not everyone's your friend," the girl's mom, Brenda James, explained. "So they...I think kids respond more to kids than to adults."
"They understand that they can be brave and smart and run. So, I thought she could reach more families out there," James continued. The mom shared that she had gotten very comfortable as her daughter's school was right down the road from their house and the park was close by too. She ended up getting a cell phone for her daughter after the incident. The woman was also thankful that they had used a code word to protect their kid, as anything could have happened that day. Her family was also grateful for the time they decided to use a code word, as it was so close to the incident.
People shared their thoughts on the incident in the comments section and were glad that the girl could save herself from the kidnapper. @rosehernandez wrote, "Sweet child, why in god's Earth do these sickos exist? May god protect our kids." @positivelastaction957 commented, "Some real sickos out there. Glad she is safe."