Mom Teaches Son About ‘Stranger Danger,’ She Can’t Cope With His Response

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Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek’s Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human interest features ranging from health, pets and travel. Lucy joined Newsweek in August 2022 and previously worked at Mercury Press and Media and other UK national newspapers, the Australian Women Magazines and The New York Post. My focus is human-interest stories ranging from relationships to health, fitness, travel, and home. I am always on the lookout for relationships that go against the “norm” such as age-gap ones along with incredible weight loss stories aimed to inspire and motivate others. Languages: English She is a Derby University graduate You can get in touch with l.************@******ek.com.

Lucy Notarantonio

Senior Life and Trends Reporter

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Teaching children not to speak to strangers is an important message that is often instilled from a young age. But one woman wasn’t prepared for her son’s response during this life lesson.

The clip quickly went viral, racking up 7.3 million views at the time of writing. It shows four-year-old Rowan standing in front of the camera while his mom, Lindsey, 31, asks what he would say if someone invited him into their car for “some candy and a puppy.”

Without hesitation, Rowan responds: “No thank you,” followed by, “My papa is going to come over and whoop your candy a**.”

Lindsey, from Iowa, told Newsweek: “I did not teach him to say it. He’s four, so it’s always a surprise what might come out of his mouth.”

During the clip, Lindsey can be heard laughing as her son walks off. She confirms that her dad—referred to as Papa in the video—is indeed the one Rowan was talking about.

“He learned that all on his own,” she told Newsweek, adding that he watches wrestling with his grandad, a.k.a. Papa, so she believes he may have picked it up from that.

The Importance of ‘Stranger Danger’

Newsweek reached out to child psychologist Ana Aznar, founder of REC Parenting, an online platform supporting parents and caregivers.

She explained that “stranger danger” refers to teaching children not to talk to strangers because they may be potentially dangerous.

“Parents should start talking about it quite early and adjust the information as their children grow. With preschoolers, we tell them to stay close to you in the park. With school-aged children, tell them not to talk to strangers and never to get into anyone’s car.

“You role-play situations, just as the mom in this reel is doing. With teenagers, we must talk about stranger danger in both the ‘real world’ and the ‘online world.’ Parents should tell them never to give out personal information or send photos of themselves,” she said.

Aznar emphasized that parents should help their kids understand that “not everyone is a good person,” without frightening them or making them anxious.

“Finally, it is important to let our kids know that danger can also come from people they know, and explain to them which behaviors are OK and which are not,” she added.

TikTok Reacts

So far, the video shared to @lindseymbroz has 775,000 likes and almost 9,000 comments—many of which are complimenting Rowan’s manners.

“‘No thank you’—so polite before the threat,” said one user, and another agreed: “At least he’s polite about it.”

“Okay, so we don’t have to worry about Rowan,” said a third commenter.

A fourth user shared her own experience: “I asked my son what he would do if a stranger approached him, and he said, ‘Stop, drop, and roll.'”

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via li**@******ek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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