Are we just too stupid?
By dragon54u
@dragon54u (31634)
United States
January 30, 2010 8:39am CST
An insulting question, I know. But I got to wondering about it when it comes to the safety of our children. You read about children who get their fingers cut off when they are caught in the canopy being opened or closed. Children being strangled by the cords on window blinds, suffocated by things in their cribs, etc.
What happened to common sense? Why are the children's fingers near the stroller when it's opened or closed? Why are cords hanging down from windows? Or cribs full of soft things a baby can roll over onto and not be able to escape from? My mom and I went through the house when my first child was born and inspected everything that could possibly hurt him as an infant, toddler or child. We found quite a few things, including the window blind cords that I hadn't thought about but she did. Her own mother taught her about those since a neighbor's child had nearly strangled (the neighbor was considered rather wealthy for being able to afford those blinds in the late 1920's).
Do you think that we have lost all our common sense? Maybe mothers don't teach their children about how to raise children anymore or do we just not listen? What's your opinion?
(before anyone misunderstands, I'm not calling anyone stupid and I'm sorry that any child has been hurt-I just think we need to be more proactive and less trusting)
2 people like this
11 responses
@kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
1 Feb 10
I know what you mean and I agree. I don't have any kids, but, I have a cat and when you have a pet you should pet proof your house just as you would for children. I would say that I'm more careful and aware on behalf of my cat than most pet owners and that really shocks me.
Whether you have children or pets or both, you really need to be aware and concerned for their safety because they can't do it on their own. YOU are their caetaker and they depend on YOU!
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
1 Feb 10
You are so right! I have heard of pets getting into peoples' medications, eating poisonous plants and even getting into things under a sink whose doors had carelessly been left open. Pets are like having toddlers with four legs (or two wings) and we have to be just as careful with them as we should be with our children! My house is dog-proofed as carefully as it used to be child-proofed!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
2 Feb 10
The last time I saw the locks you were talking about was at Toys R Us. Those were great when my kids were small! Walmart has a selection of safety stuff like that but probably a local baby store would be the best shot. My cousin recently had everyone over for Christmas and she put a yardstick through the handles of her cupboards--however, the 8 month old grandchild crawled over, pulled herself up and quickly figured it out! I wonder if a cat could? Your cat apparently wants a dark and cozy place to relax so maybe you could clean that place out and give it to the cat?
@kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
1 Feb 10
Exactly! I have all of my medications in a drawer in my 'living room'. Even though most bottles are 'child proof' never underestimate the determination of either a child or animal.
Underneath the sink in my bathroom the cabinets have a gap between them and Mija puts her paw between the gap to pry the cabinet open. At first it really scared me, but, I found out that when she goes inside all she does is jump onto the top of this plastic three section drawer and sits there. I've been trying to find some inexpensive plastic padlocks in the baby section of the supermarket, but, can't find any. Do you know what I'm talking about? If you do, where can I buy them? I don't need the metal ones. Just a strong, durable plastic.
Take care sweetie!
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
30 Jan 10
how on EARTH did we humans survive before all these safety stuff?
I grew up before seatbelts, we had blinds - tho I have to admit the cords were fairly high up - we had those folding type door gates?
I didn't know any kids without fingers and the like?
What about before all this stuff when kids were dirty and nobody took bathes?
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
Ha! I always say, a dirty child is a happy child!
Parents watched their children better when we were growing up. Like, they dept us away from machinery where now little kids are allowed to watch their parents work on cars and stuff--my dad wouldn't let us anywhere near it in case it fell or we got cut. We were told to keep our fingers out of gates and the proper way to work them. Remember those accordian gates?
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Feb 10
That really infuriates me. I think we've given up a lot to the nanny state--people don't like to think these days, they want to be taken care of. I hate that, how can they live like that?! I'm glad I taught my sons to think and be independent and be proud of it.
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
31 Jan 10
It seems to me that in the U.S. people would rather sue than use common sense.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
31 Jan 10
The sad part is that our society has taught people that they have no responsibility for their own safety or that of their children. If people wanted to improve their lives and those of their children, the best thing they could possibly do is accept responsibility for their own decisions and actions and teach their children the same.
@machivado (528)
• Indonesia
31 Jan 10
That's the big problem when you have a lot of house appliances and really don't care about their conditions and positions. Back when I was a kid, I did okay because in my house there are not many home appliances and my mother was pretty strict, so I got scared when I was trying to do something reckless. In other words, the children need discipline, understanding, and parents really need to limit house appliances. Don't buy just everything. Buy what you really need, think about your children.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
31 Jan 10
I grew up the same way. I thought my mother had eyes in the back of her head because she always seemed to know what I was doing!! I was the same way with my kids. I think parents really need to watch their children closely--we are supposed to protect them and teach them. You're right about the appliances, we usually have way more than we need!
@dhs1008 (100)
•
31 Jan 10
yep, it all comes down to common sense. even though your not that intelligent, if you have common sense you could avoid those simple mistakes. there are lot more dangerous things that we had ever thought. as our baby grows, the more dangerous it would be for them. accidents happen due to human failure. human failure does happen due to no common sense.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
31 Jan 10
I think one of the things that contributes to this is that we are used to everyone else thinking for us--all the safety features built into everything and we trust them to keep us and our children safe when there is no such thing! Children are remarkably inventive when it comes to bypassing safety measures and getting into trouble. We have to supervise and watch, not depend on others--and we must THINK!
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
30 Jan 10
I think, and have for a long time, that everyone has to work too much. I think people and tired and frazzled and can't keep up.. Not that that should replace being careful and all.. but it seems like a lot of folks don't think about the possibility of these things happening.. They weren't raised by parents who passed on their paranoia! ha ha! Never run with scissors, all that.. I passed all that paranoia on to my kids too! Did it with their driving too! top advice being, "always watch out for the other guy" but I see so many people driving in a hurried fashion, stop, glance left then right, go as fast as you can, type of (unsafe) driving.. Guess that's the same thing..
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
That might be one reason for it, certainly. It's a fact that we are over stressed and always in a hurry. We even try to make our kids grow up too fast because we have no time to just sit and play with them, we tell them to go watch TV because we're busy. That's really so sad.
It would almost be worth it to have something happen to take away all this frenzy just to keep our heads above water.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
30 Jan 10
When my daughter was 9 or 10 I went to her school at leaving time to collect her for a dental appointment. As we walked out of school she said that she needed the toilet. "Hurry up" I said. About five minutes later a teacher appeared and waved me over. The toilet floor had just been washed and daughter had slipped as she ran in. She had cut her knee very badly - down to the bone - and I had to take her to hospital instead of the dentist. She had stitches etc and was back at school the next day. I was relaying the story to a colleague whose first words were "You should sue the school. Those toilets were an accident waiting to happen". Now in what way was it the school's fault? The floor had to be washed and they reasonably left it until they thought that the children had gone home. They weren't to know that a child would come back in a hurry having been sent by her impatient father. We live in a litigious society. Remember those stories about people burning their lips on hot tea etc?! Where there is genuine negligence, then sue away; but we need to use our common sense and take responsibility for our own actions.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
How scary for you and your daughter! But thank goodness you had enough wits to put it in perspective, I would not have sued the school, either. It is because of our litigious society that our health care costs over here are so high and a number of other woes, too!
We take all the care we can. But some of us don't think beyond the next couple of seconds, which is probably why those little ones' fingers were near the stroller canopy and got cut. Really, children are a full time job, God bless them all! 
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
30 Jan 10
dragon54u common sense I believe they call it and evidently it is not as common as one might think. Yes we should all childproof our homes when we are planning on our children coming. I too was naive with my first. He had gotten a toy monkey home made from my mother-in-law. He was maybe 10 months or so, and I heard this gurgling sound and went tearing into his bedroom, and there he was about to turn blue. He had one of the loops of fringe on this toy around his little neck and was trying to get it off but his little hands were inside the loop, thus pulling it tighter. I got the loop away from around his neck ,then got my scissors, and made darned sure no loop remained. I also checked the cords on the window blinds and made sure it was child proof. then we went through our house and childproofed everything as I had just found out I was probably gregnant with a second child.I learned that so many common things we paid no attention to were traps for little hands and fingers. Thus we made certain that there were no hidden things that could hurt or even kill our children. Things they could get to on hands and knees,house hold items we all used but were not safe for little hands that would poke into every thing.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
It's amazing how they get into those situations--thank God you heard him! We have to use our imaginations to visualize the most outlandish situations then guard against them, because kids can do things we would not believe.
@krajibg (11922)
• Guwahati, India
30 Jan 10
Hi there
Very apt and timely post indeed. Of late we parents seem to have lost patience so far things are related to upbring our children. There is no doubt that our nonchalant attitude towards them could prove to be fatal. All the things you have mentioned in your post could be handled careful so that no child or a toddler is hurt physically.
If we can not manage to protect their life there is no question of breeding children. The post moder era is more volatile as parents are working couple and children are deprived of parental guidance.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
I agree. Our children are no longer treasured blessings but mouths to feed and little people that are inconvenient to our careers. While I know there are parents that are aware of every danger and try to protect their children, too many take their children for granted--they back over them in their cars, lose them in stores, take them on dangerous trips and let them do all sorts of unsafe things by themselves. It's like they are saying "hurry and grow up!". Very sad. They don't know what they are missing by their casual attitude.
@mlno054321 (212)
• Philippines
30 Jan 10
no im not , maybe the others . but me not so, that is a story about children who cut off their fingers when they caught in canopy being opened or close. its just a children never mind of that.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
30 Jan 10
Parents don't seem to watch their children closely anymore, a lot of them just run around unsupervised while moms and dads chat or text on the phone.
