https://paulnystrom.com/tags/gavin-de-becker/Recent content in Gavin De Becker on Paul NystromHugoen-usSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://paulnystrom.com/posts/talk-to-strangers-doctors/Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://paulnystrom.com/posts/talk-to-strangers-doctors/<p>I have four kids who are now in high school and out of the house. When my two oldest were very young, I read some books by Gavin de Becker. The first was called <em>The Gift of Fear</em>, and it changed the way I think about what I teach my kids.</p> <p>Very early on, we taught them to talk to strangers—it&rsquo;s the opposite of the advice I grew up with. I encourage you to check out the books, but one of the main points is that we model talking to strangers all the time. So it&rsquo;s better to teach your kids which strangers are okay to talk to rather than have them grow up unable to talk to anyone—especially including someone when they actually need to ask for help.</p>