Review of Amber Alert Watch

As our children grow and mature so do their requests for more freedom…more space…and more individuality. But what’s a parent to do when we live in a world filled with predators?

When my son was seven he often asked, “Mom will you ever let me walk to school alone?” My answer was always, “No, it’s not safe.” But every once in a while, he’d wear me down just enough to second guess myself—after all, kids his age were walking to school with their buddies all the time!

But just as soon as I’d consider giving the okay (thinking I could walk a block or so behind him and he’d never know) I’d receive a note from the school stating that there was a near child abduction and that we should keep a closer eye on our kids until the police catch the predator(s).

Then my son hit fifth grade, and he asked again. “We are only three blocks from the school mom-m-m. What could possibly happen? Please let me walk home with my friends!” He had a point, and he was 12 years old. But the thought of him walking home frightened me. So I came up with a solution.

“You can walk home so long as you take the walkie talkie with you. You must turn it on as soon as you get out of school. Call me and let me know you’re on your way home so that I don’t worry. And if you’re not home in 20 minutes, I’m coming after you.”

He didn’t like it. In fact, he was a bit embarrassed. But it was either the walkie talkie or no going it alone! After awhile, he and his friends didn’t give the walkie talkie a second thought. It actually became “cool” and he began taking it to the park two blocks away—when he wanted to play basketball with the boys.

But I always worried. What if someone abducted him? That walkie talkie wasn’t going to be enough. What if I couldn’t get to him fast enough when he called for help?

Now my daughter is 12 years old and she’s asking for a bit of freedom. She wants to walk two blocks away to the neighborhood pool—where lifeguards are always present—and hang out with her friends. A walkie talkie goes with her even though I can stand outside my door and see her walk the entire way to the pool.

Just call it “Mom’s comfort tool.”

But I’ve always wondered if I could add a little extra protection when the kids are out of sight; like when they’re attending school field trips, church events, or visiting an amusement park. Then today, I found something really neat and I can honestly say my mind is a bit more at ease.

Nothing—and I do mean nothing—works better than teaching our children how to stay safe, how to spot an abductor, how to not  avoid dangerous situations and strangers, and how to attack if necessary, but this little gadget sure does give me a little more peace of mind.

It’s called the AmberWatch®. It looks like an ordinary, every day watch you’d pick up in the $10 aisle of Wal-Mart® so it fits right in with our current trends, but here’s where it’s different…

The AmberWatch® has two buttons that when pushed simultaneously activates a personal alarm that can be heard—are you ready for this—three football fields away! And should a predator attempt to break the watch off the child a sensor wire is triggered and the alarm is instantly activated!

Who should have an AmberWatch®?

Every school aged child. Every latchkey kid. Every toddler who likes to wander away from mommy (Once my daughter hid in car in the car dealership’s inside floor model while we were negotiating price—talk about frightening!). And every teenager who insists she (or he) is old enough to go on a date or to the movies with her buddies—at night!

To learn more visit http://www.amberwatchfoundation.org/

UPATE

The watch wasn't as "loud" as I would have liked it to have been. And my daughter soon found the bulkiness of it annoying. However, for small children, it does add a bit of peace of mind when they're playing outdoors--say in the back yard or the park.