Pat Towl

Likes yellow, Loves Lincolnshire, dogs, elephants, sloths, and pizza!! but not necessarily in that order.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

#StarWarsDay

[Harrison Ford @HarrisonFordLA]

May the fourth be with you

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

He is better than the "real" dancers.

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

It’s Friday!! 🎉

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Wow! Just seen my first swallow of this year.
Very early.

[Miyandy @Amahashi_]

I worked 20 years for a child sex trafficking rescue group. I want you to know this:

90% of Lost Children Are Found Within 30 Minutes.

That statistic should both comfort you and wake you up.

Most lost children are found quickly. But the ones who aren’t? They usually made one mistake.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

It’s often the exact thing most parents teach them.

We tell our kids:

“If you get lost, come find me.”

It sounds logical. It sounds empowering.

It’s WRONG!

The Mistake Most Lost Children Make:

When children realize they’re separated, they do three things almost automatically:

They panic.
They wander.
They try to find you.

Every step makes them harder to locate.

From a search standpoint, movement creates chaos.

Parents retrace their steps.
Security scans zones.
Staff lock down areas.

Search works best when movement stops.

When a child keeps walking, they move outside the original search radius. Helpers are looking where they were last seen — not where they’ve wandered.

Stillness increases probability.

Movement expands the problem.

The first lesson is not “go find me.”

It’s this:

Stop. Stay. Yell.

Why Stillness Wins:

Think like a search team.

If a child stays put:

Parents can retrace steps.
Security can scan systematically.
Helpers converge to one fixed location.
The search radius remains small.
If a child keeps moving:

The search area expands.
Adults pass each other.
Missed connections multiply.
Minutes stretch into hours.
Stillness keeps the math on your side.

Teach Them Who to Approach:

The second mistake we make as parents?

We say, “Find an adult.”

Not any adult. Not the nearest stranger. Children need a filter.

Teach them to look for, if at all possible:

A mother with children.

Caregivers who already have kids with them are statistically among the safest people to approach in public settings. They are visible, stationary, and more likely to engage quickly.

It’s a clear, concrete instruction.

Children don’t process vague categories like “safe adult.”

They process visuals.

“Find a mom with kids” is visual.

A Phone Only Helps If the Number Is Known:

We often assume phones solve everything.

They don’t — unless your child can use one. Even young children can memorize a 10-digit phone number with repetition.

But you must train it.

Practice it like a song.

Sing it in the car.
Chant it at bedtime.
Turn it into rhythm.

Repetition becomes recall.

In an emergency, recall matters more than theory.

The Code Word Rule:

One more layer of protection.

Choose a private family code word.

Something only your household knows.

If someone approaches and says:

“Your mom sent me.”

Your child asks:

“What’s the code word?”

No word.
No go.

This simple rule eliminates manipulation attempts instantly.

It gives your child agency without requiring them to evaluate character.

Real Safety Is Training — Not Luck!

We don’t get safer by hoping.

We get safer by practicing.

Teach:

• Phone number
• Code word
• Stop, stay, yell
• Find a mom with kids

Multiple skills.
Simple instructions.
Clear visuals.

Five minutes of training can replace hours of panic. This isn’t about fear. It’s about preparation.

Because when a child gets separated, the clock starts.

And what they do in the first minute determines what the next thirty look like.

That’s real protection.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Don’t believe what the UK media is saying.
Does this look like people panicking??

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Planes are moving now. KLM have sorted my return. Extra 4 days in sunny #Dubai

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

#Dubai Kite beach was breezy. Bit bracing as I would’ve said in #Skegness

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

#Dubai Marina.
One day we will go on the Yellow Boats.🤔

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Made a friend at Kite Beach. Obviously we were exactly where we needed to be.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

#Dubai The Arte Museum.
Superb.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

#DubaiMarina
Nice morning here.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

@MartinSLewis Hey Martin
Due to return 6 March. KLM from DXB to HUY cancelled on 1 March.
Am I best to rebook or wait for airline to do it?
Thank you.

[A.A.Milne @A_AMilne]

‘Daffodowndilly’
She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour
“Winter is dead.”
~A.A.Milne #daffodil #spring #StDavidsDay

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Back to Earth.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

We will be able to save the planet.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

We’ve been astronauts too.

[Pat Towl @Pattee2012]

Been to the Museum of the Future #Dubai today.
Actually Dubai already looks like it.