As parents, we all have different levels of comfort when it comes to safety. I’ve spoken about how I don’t care if my kids swim in polluted waters, climb trees or go on unsupervised adventures around the neighbourhood. However, my fear of choking has meant that they have never had a hard candy in their lives. Nope, not even a Lifesaver. If I see some random kid sucking on the dreaded gobstopper, I have to leave the room because my anxiety levels rise. If a kid is running around the park with a lollipop, I either have to pack up my children and leave or beg the parent to make the child sit down until finished.
I have one other extreme paranoia – folks forgetting to put on the stroller brakes when they stop to tie shoes or zip up the coats of their older children.
I’ve explained this concern to my older children. I’ve told them that neglecting to put on the stroller brakes means a wind could come along and blow the baby straight onto the road. If there is a slight incline on the sidewalk or path, baby could roll into a dangerous situation. A couple of weeks ago while out for a walk, I noticed that one of the biggies didn’t put the stroller brakes on when we stopped to chat with a neighbour. I once again explained the importance of it but just didn’t feel like they really understood. I told them that we were heading home so that I could show them a video clip of what can happen when the brakes are not on.
Have a quick watch. What you should know is that by some crazy miracle, the baby was JUST FINE. Not so sure how the poor mama has recovered.
Was it harsh to show my children this video? Perhaps it was. I worried that they might have nightmares. In the end, I decided that nightmares are not such a bad thing if it spares them a lifetime of sadness and guilt.
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