Parenting is one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever have, not only are you on call 24 hours a day and seven days a week, but you’re also expected to take full responsibility for protecting and caring for your children while providing for their every need. With that said, it’s sometimes difficult to keep in mind general safety tips when you’re already constantly on-the-go with the kids. Hawaii’s State Department of the Attorney General offers some much needed reminders for parents to reflect on and consider while taking on daily parenting duties, after all isn’t a safe kid a happy one?

Playing an active role in your children’s lives will help keep you in-touch with any abnormal behaviors or suspicious situations going on at school, sports practice or other daily activities. Instead of just dropping your kids off at baseball practice, why not stick around for a little bit so you can pick up on how adults and other kids interact with your own children. The Hawaii Attorney General office also discusses how it’s important to listen to your kids, because if they mention “that they don’t want to be with someone or go somewhere [...] it may be an indication of more than a personality conflict or lack of interest in the activity.”

Some other basic parenting safety tips involve carefully screening potential nannies and babysitters by doing background checks that might include any prior offenses. Using references from trusted friends and family members is a great way to learn about reliable caregivers. You can even go so far as using a home monitored video surveillance system that will help keep everyone on their best behavior, knowing that you’re always in control even when you’re not at home. The ADT Pulse™ is a mobile app that keeps tabs on your home’s safety including your kids’ environment at home with video monitors and sensors that can send messages directly to your mobile device when your child arrives home from school or if he/she is into any off-limits cabinets in the kitchen.

To learn more about home security monitoring visit Connect Your Home where you can compare home security systems or visit this Home Security News blog for additional tips of family safety and parenting tips. Follow Connect Your Home on Twitter and Facebook to stay in touch via social media – we’d love to hear from you!