If you’re a parent you’ll know all about the fierce sense of protection that suddenly comes to the fore the moment you see your baby for the first time. It’s primal, it’s instinctive. Along with an incredible surge of love, there is also an overwhelming sense of responsibility that comes with being a parent. That tiny bundle is yours to love, nurture and protect, from the moment they’re born to, well, pretty much forever one way or another.

The vulnerability of being a parent

Chatting with a friend recently, we ended up reminiscing about becoming parents for the first time. She recalled the first time she went shopping with her partner and their baby, a quick trip into town to pick up a few bits and pieces – it was nothing special. But it came after several days in hospital and a few more safely cocooned at home as she got to know her son and began to get to grips with a new normal of sleepless nights, feeding, changing nappies and repeat. She told me how vulnerable she felt, especially when her partner left her to go into a shop. She began to panic. In the middle of the day in the middle of Guildford, she was suddenly scared for her baby. She knew it was illogical, there was nothing threatening but she had this tiny person in a buggy and the weight of responsibility hit her full pelt. Twenty years on and she still sees that brief experience as a defining moment in her life.

Back then, my friend might have considered crossing the road with a buggy the greatest risk she would face. But the world seems to have changed in recent years. It feels more dangerous, more volatile. And today’s new parents know that.

Violence seems to have crossed a line

I’ll mention just three horrific incidents that have occurred over the last six months or so. Back in December a pregnant woman was stabbed as she walked her children to school. Thankfully, both she and the baby survived, and her attacker – her ex-partner – is now serving 17 years. In April this year a young mother was fatally stabbed as she pushed her baby in a pram along a Bradford street in broad daylight. You may remember the huge manhunt that ensued before the woman’s husband was found and arrested. And then there was an event that shocked the world, a crazed knife attack on multiple people in a busy shopping mall in Sydney, Australia. Amongst the victims was a young woman who had her 9-month-old baby with her – both she and her baby were attacked, the baby survived but the mother died. 

Whilst they are all exceptional events, and certainly not something we read in the news every day, they seem to signify a shift in our collective sense of safety in public areas. Whilst we all know about the risks of walking down an unlit street at night, these were incidents that happened within unremarkable circumstances – on the school run, walking along a street during the day, during a shopping trip.

So it got me thinking. Let’s do something specifically designed for parents of young babies, something that gives them the confidence to go about their daily life with confidence.

Introducing Parent & Prams

This four-week course is for parents – both mums and dads – of babies that are not yet walking. Classes will be held during the day so that you can bring baby along and there will be no pressure if you need to step away to give your baby attention. We’re going to teach you some valuable self-defence techniques, based on a wide range of disciplines, that will help you have more awareness of your surroundings when you’re out and about and, God forbid you ever find yourself facing someone who is out to cause harm, give you the skills to de-escalate a threatening situation and defend yourself and your child if need be.

The course will run at The Dojo Woking in Old Woking, where there is parking for anyone travelling by car. We hope to run this course again so if you can’t join us just yet there will be more opportunities. Why not get in touch and register your interest – we can’t wait to get this course underway!