My Pet Peeve Hall of Infamy

I previously blogged about parenting in March. The gist of that blog was that you need to parent and not try so hard to be your child's best buddy. That is still my position. I would like to add to that theorem with this offshoot. You need to parent, period.

One of my biggest pet peeves is parents that pay no attention to what their toddlers are doing, or let the toddlers do whatever they want, regardless of the dangerousness of their activities. This one is in my Pet Peeve Hall of Infamy: when I see a toddler standing up in the back of a shopping cart, or even worse, standing on the seat of a shopping cart, I want to throttle that parent or caregiver. I saw that very thing today and even worse, the caregiver of this little toddler was nowhere in sight. What is wrong with these people? Is it laziness or stupidity? I can't think of a third reason someone would walk away from their toddler standing up and leaning on the side of the shopping cart. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH. Not only do these toddlers have the chance of falling out of the cart, they also have the chance of the cart falling on them.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, falls from shopping carts are among the leading causes of head injuries in children 5 and under in the U.S. every year, and they occur most often when the child stands either in the seat or cart basket. Approximately 17,300 U.S. children are treated in the ER for injuries suffered while falling from a shopping cart. These injuries are totally preventable.

There are other examples of this laissez faire parenting all around us. We all see kids climbing on things in the mall, things that are not meant to be climbed on, plantings, walls, fountains, furniture, banisters,etc. It is almost like parents are taking a monkey to the mall with them. There are designated places for children to play, and that is where they can climb and explore in relative safety. For the most part, that is what playgrounds are for too(although there are some playgrounds that are decidedly unsafe). I never understood how and why people let their kids do whatever they feel like doing and don't correct the behavior to avoid disaster. Emergency rooms are filled with kids whose parents didn't feel like parenting that day. Just ask the doctors that work there!

When the Razor Scooter became popular about 12 years ago, there was a sudden increase in the number of kids coming to the ER with wrist fractures, cuts, scrapes, head bumps. The recommendation was for Razor Scooter riders to use helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads to help prevent injuries when falls occurred. Many may have started out using all of the safety equipment, but before long, the culture of "too cool for a helmet" did away with most of the protective gear for the kids old enough to squabble. Almost any day, you could drive through a suburban neighborhood and see any number of kids whizzing around the streets on their Razor Scooters with no helmets and no other protection.

When I was 12, I suffered a severe bike accident. I fell over the handlebars, and broke both of my arms, had stitches in my elbow, my knee was cut open with road rash and I got a slight concussion. If I had a helmet in those days, I would have at least avoided the concussion.

I realize that kids are going to fight parents on the issue of safety equipment, always. You almost never see older kids wearing helmets while riding bikes unless they have parents that insist on it. And they SHOULD insist on it. There are so many reasons a helmet can save your life and/or the quality of your life. Head injuries are common in bike accidents.

It is hard work to keep nagging your kids about issues like this. There are so many other things to fight about, I know. Believe me. The seat belt issue is another one. This is non negotiable in my house. It never has been negotiable. My kids and anyone that rides in my car wears a seat belt, end of discussion. If there are too many people for the seat belts I have, then we let someone out to ride in a different car. It has been proven over and over again, that seat belts save lives. If you raise a child to always use a seat belt, chances are they will automatically use one as an adult. If on the other hand, you send mixed messages on use of safety equipment, there is a greater chance that your child will think using safety equipment is optional.

Nobody ever leaves their driveway in their car thinking they are going to have a life or death car accident that day. We all assume that we will arrive at our destination unharmed and return home the same way. But we all also know that sh**happens everyday. You never know when some other driver not paying attention is going to plow into you or run you off the road and if you are seat belted in, you have a much better chance of returning home in one piece. So does that toddler in that shopping cart. They have a much better chance of returning home uninjured if they stay belted in and/or seated in the cart at all times.

I have only scratched the surface of my Pet Peeve Hall of Infamy,but a toddler standing in the shopping cart is near the top of the list. There is no sane reason for it, yet you see it everywhere you go. Wise up parents, protect your children, it is your job.