Okay, I'm, of course, not a parent, but two of my sisters are still little (20 months and 3 years).
First, how little are the children? If they are over four, I think it is mostly a matter of educating the children to behave around the dog (i.e., not to run around screaming, not to disturb the dog when it is asleep or eating, not to pull on it in any way), which would be especially important at first while the dog is adjusting to the new home and the children. I really like these ten tips (
http://www.leerburg.com/kidbites.htm):
1. NEVER disturb any dog who is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
2. NEVER pet a dog, even your own, without letting him see and sniff you first.
3. Children must always ASK PERMISSION from the owner and their parents BEFORE petting any dog. I never allowed my children near strange dogs much less pet them.
4. If the owner cannot control the dog and have it SIT nicely for the child to pet, WALK AWAY
5. NEVER approach a dog who is confined behind a fence, within a car, or on a chain.
6. NEVER TEASE any dog by poking at them through fences or car windows or reaching your arm through to pet them.
7. NEVER approach a strange dog you don't know or a dog who is not with his owner.
8. NEVER RUN away from a dog that is chasing you. STOP, STAND STILL, REMAIN CALM, ARMS AT YOUR SIDES, be quiet and DO NOT SCREAM. Walk away SLOWLY FACING THE DOG BUT NOT STARING AT its eyes
9. If a dog attacks, "feed" him your jacket, a school book, a bicycle, or anything else that you can get between you and the dog.
10. If you are attacked, STOP, CURL UP IN A BALL LIKE A TURTLE, COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR ARMS AND HANDS
Numbers 1 and 2 would be especially applicable here.
Now, if there are toddlers, then the dog has to learn about children and become accustomed to them. They can be really annoying to dogs, with the noise and the occasional tugging at fur, ears, tail, or whatever which sometimes occurs even when the dog and child(ren) are being carefully supervised.
Has Samson ever been around small children outside your home? If not, maybe you should consider taking him out to a place where he can safely be exposed to them. If he is fairly comfortable with them around, have the little kids command him to do a down, if possible, and then give him lots of treats. He'll need to realize that little kids have to be respected (the reason a down would be good) but that they bring VERY good things (that's what the treats are for). If he is scared or nervous, then just reward him whenever little kids are close by and he is acting brave. Also, if he is afraid of children, only have well-behaved children visit him, ones that wouldn't ever pull on him or scream around him. That way he can realize that the children aren't hurting him and that he gets good things when they are around. Our two big dogs love my youngest sister because she is a "treat machine" and loves sharing her food, although this is much to our dismay! (I'll state the obvious here, just in case someone else later stumbles upon this thread. When you are training with treats, be sure to accordingly reduce the food the dog gets at meals.)
Also, I think that before adopting him out to a home where some of the children are little, he ought to meet the whole family somewhere, maybe a park where dogs are allowed on leash. If he cannot deal with meeting them when you are around, that is a pretty good indication, IMO, that they are not the right family for Samson.
Anyway, I hope this helps. It is just my opinion, as always. Hopefully others can give you some better advice.
Sofia
