When walking with your child down the road

I'm always careful and am beteen the traffic and my child at all times. Now I have two, I get the older one to walk away from the traffic side and I carry the toddler. We have a main road near our place which doesn't have proper footpaths....and there's a bend on the road and people need to be very careful while walking because huge trucks use the road. I also make sure that I am walking on that side of the road where I can see the traffic coming towards me so that I can move away even if the driver makes a wrong move (well, I learnt that when I was in school...but no one here seems to know that). Anyways, one day I was walking on one side of the road and I saw a woman walking towards me with a young child (around 2.5-3 years)and the child was on the traffic side. Since she was walking towards me, she couldn't see the vehicles coming from behind her and the child was between the traffic and her. Though nothing untoward happened, I would be scared everytime a truck would pass. As I crossed her, I politely asked her to hold the child on the other side and explained that the trucks were dangerous. The woman thanked me and held the child by the other hand...I was so relieved to see that.

I always walk on the outside of my children. When cars come I teach them to get on the grass. People will run you over....texing,eating,talking,doing your make up all while driving..SCARY! As for other adults with their kids...If you knew how many kids are put in harms way by their parents , you would cry! It makes me angry as well, your not alone!

I have always walked outside the road. I never felt side letting my kids walk outside the sidewalk. And your right, parent should always let their kids walk inside the sidewalk. though I've seen kids walking on the outside.

Im blind in my left eye so sometimes to have them away from traffic would mean they are on that side I cant see them and fall over them so normally I will cross over to the other side just so they are safe, keeps my mind at ease knowing that they are safe from traffic and clumsy old me!!!

I know exactly what you mean. What are those parents thinking?!?!? It comes natural for me to be in between the traffic and my child!!!! You see it all the time though!!! I always think, OMG if anything happened right in front of me because some parent wasn't thinking I would freak!!!! I have 4 kids and sometimes in parking lots I practically get run over because I have all of them in a line on my one side. I think some people have no common sense or just don't care.

Me and my son walks around the village and there are very few cars there. When we walk beside the road, I usually carry him or he's beside me, AWAY from the road. Why would I walk with child just beside the road? I don't think I would do that. It's very careless. We must always think first of our child's safety before ours, I think that's what parents really have to do.. That's one way of showing we love them, by making them feel safe and protected.

Yes, even I see it everyday. Mothers holding on to their child tightly, but the child is on the wrong direction and on top of that the mother is busy talking on the mobile very animatedly. Now if an accident does occur, the driver is going to get the hell beaten out of him BUT the mother is equally to blame. Whenever I walk with my son, I always put him on the side away from the traffic. I don’t think its got to do with selfishness, its rather more to do with carelessness and casual attitude and the misplaced belief that nothing will happen.

I let my son walk closer to the road sometimes, but the minute we see a car (we rarely even see cars when we are out on walks, since we go in the afternoon, and we live in a tiny town), I step in front of or behind him, depending on which way the car is coming from. I make sure I'm always between him and the car.

It should be a no-brainer but it is not. I see it all the time. My 7 year old still gets frustrated because I make her hold my hand in the parking lot, since I can't be on both sids of her. I have her walk close to the cars and I walk in the middle of the aisle. I just have to keep my eye out for the cars backing up.

that's true - even my husband walks between me and traffic just to be safe - so sweet of him right? I think these parents are probably unthinking. not that they are trying to protect themselves at the the expense of their children. I believe that 99% of parents love their children and would want to protect them. thanks for the reminder - I'll always try to shield my children adn put them on the safe side of the road.

I always walk between my child and traffic. It sounds like the only logical thing to do.

I know how you feel. Even my boyfriend always walk on the traffic side and me on the other. It's not just that. Some parents are into discussions with their friends or neighbors and I see their childs sitting on the end of the sidewalk till a car honks and the mother rushing to the child. I wish parents would be less careless and pay more attention. When it's too late, there is nothing you can do about it. You can't push a button to travel back in time and undo what was done. People regret it alot but yeh, it still happens.

I always make sure my child is protected against traffic. Some people just don't think.

When I was about 12 or 13 I took a summer babysitting course, and that was one of the first things they taught us was to put yourself closer to traffic. Now with my own children I'm not even aware of myself doing it, I automatically position them on the opposite side of me furthest from traffic. If my husband and I are walking together with the children and one of us is pushing the stroller, the one of us without the stroller gets closer to the traffic, almost protecting the stroller. We both do it instictively.

My sister was hit by a car while out for a walk when she was younger. I always keep this in mind. Most of the time I put my child in the shopping cart if we are in a parking lot. We try only to walk on the sidewalk. If that can't be accomplished either my hubby or I put ourselves closest to the road.

hi sillychick here in my state of ca we do not walk in the road at all as we would be killed in a few seconds by the crazy drivers who all drive like maniacs so we are safely on the sidewalks here. In smaller towns I guess maybe the sidewalks are few between but I would sure be careful to have children on the other side of me. my thoughts are do not walk on streets where there are no sidewalks, find the sidewalks and stick to them and do not walk in the roads at all.