I’ve long preached awareness as one of the most crucial elements of self-defense for the simple fact that if you don’t know that danger is near, you can’t defend against it, regardless of training. And since my primary objective is keeping me and mine safe, I want to be the first to recognize potential danger so I can make an informed decision for future actions.

To this end, I scan every location and mark every person’s danger potential. I consider myself good at this, and have even been quite proud that I’ve been able to continue my awareness levels while also watching a very active two-year-old. However, the other day I was just about overwhelmed.

After three days indoors due to Hurricane Sandy, everyone in the household was going a little stir crazy. We decided to head to our local mall to get out, get supper and let the little one run around in the play area; we were not the only ones who thought of this. I turned the girl loose and obtained a corner to provide as much cover as possible while observing her antics, along with my fellow shoppers. There were a lot of kids running, jumping and climbing on the equipment, with parents and caregivers watching. I quickly connected most of the kids to an adult, allowing me to render them as minor characters in my mind’s drama. There were a couple of kids that I couldn’t match to anyone, which, due to my nature, required additional attention. This was the reason for my dilemma.

I was trying to observe those passing by, while ensuring that nothing happened to the children I was watching, especially my own. I must say that I was quite grateful when my wife returned from shopping, providing me with an additional set of eyes.

In what type of situations have you found that there was almost too much going on for proper observation? Share your stories and maybe we can determine some tips for everyone to use.