Looping the Hen

You are so way wrong. The reason we make a bigger deal out of 100 kids versus 300,000 idiots who kill themselves with cigarettes is because they are our Children, not responsible adult idiots!! We have been appointed to protect them and that is just what parents intend on doing! It is a different world, way back when you could ride your bike in the street and not see a car out all day. You think I would let my child out in a street on a bike now...NO WAY. Cars running 60 mph, every 10 seconds; Yes, things have changed; yes things are more dangerous for our Children!! You are so wrong on this! It was nice in those days when kids could stay out all day and play and parents didn't have to worry, but...RUDE AWAKENING...Those days ARE over!

I believe Lilly has a point. First I want to say I'm not a smoker, although I have plenty of friends who do. Think back to when you were a smoker, and while we're pretending imagine if you had child. Now which law would you more readily accept one that prevented you from smoking or one that kept your child safe? I agree with the point it doesnt make sense to try and enforce the "little" laws, while ppl are dying everyday from thinks such as smoking. I also beleive location has its part in it too. Would you be comfortable letting your child roam free in say South Central? New York City? Little towns, like where you grew is fine. Even here in TN places like where I grew up Bethpage, Westmoreland, Gallatin, no probelm. But I think if we where in LA your post would be about taking better care of our kids, rather than granting their freedom. Just my 2 cents.

I believe Lilly has a point. First I want to say I'm not a smoker, although I have plenty of friends who do. Think back to when you were a smoker, and while we're pretending imagine if you had child. Now which law would you more readily accept one that prevented you from smoking or one that kept your child safe? I agree with the point it doesnt make sense to try and enforce the "little" laws, while ppl are dying everyday from thinks such as smoking. I also beleive location has its part in it too. Would you be comfortable letting your child roam free in say South Central? New York City? Little towns, like where you grew is fine. Even here in TN places like where I grew up Bethpage, Westmoreland, Gallatin, no probelm. But I think if we where in LA your post would be about taking better care of our kids, rather than granting their freedom. Just my 2 cents.

You may well be right. However, let's take a look at the numbers.

Bike deaths among children 1-19 are down 50% between 1978 and 1992. And more than 60% of those occur on back roads. Also, the number of children per 100,000 killed in car accidents is higher than the rate while biking. According to the numbers, it might be safer for them to bike to school than be driven.

What I see as truely the sad part is that more than half the children killed and injured riding bikes could be prevented by teaching them the proper way to ride and making them wear a helmet. I feel like instead of educators teaching our children, parents have often turned into permanent safety nets, never letting our children risk anything.

So although I see a higher level of energy spent 'protecting children' by keeping them from doing 'dangerous' activities, the statistics so far in every area I looked where children are still active has not borne them out.

You are right, it is a 'different world'. However, it is different in that it is safer than ever for our kids to participate in all manner of activities. So my overarching question still stands. Too much parenting or not enough?

One anecdote before I go! I have the greatest respect for one of the parents I work with. He has a child with hemophilia. Although I have watched parents of hemophiliacs put almost a protective bubble around their child, his child participates in whatever sports he chooses, and whatever activities he chooses. He is not limited due to his disorder.

I know that it is sometimes hard on his parents, and they worry, but they believe it is more important to not stifle his freedom and personal growth due to what might happen. Are there scary incidents? Yes, once in a while his son is injured and that is always difficult, but it never makes him change his mind in that that is the best way to raise his child.

And yes, his child does understand the risk every time he goes out and does something possibly 'unsafe', and chooses to live his life instead of letting the possibilities scare him away from life.

Thank you for your thoughts ma'am! Are you just here visiting or do I know you?=)

Rodney,

I agree, I think location is a definite concern and one I haven't mentioned. You are right, where I grew up in Connecticut is a lot different than New Haven, where I probably wouldn't go walking today as an adult.=) Environment should definitely be a factor in all decision-making. I am not advocating a total lack of boundaries for our children by any means, more than just looking at what is so different between 1980 and 2006. (and in most everything, today is safer, though we'd never know it!)

One of the reasons I mention cigarettes (other than being the #1 preventable killer) is that it does effect everyone. How many parents of children are lost to it? Does that not have an impact on them? How much does it cost our society as a whole? How many children develop asthma from 2nd hand smoke?

Sure, they are 'adults', but we don't let our adults take crack or ecstacy legally, so why should we allow smoking? (as a libertarian, my views are really different than these questions imply, again just being a Devils Advocate)

Thanks for your comments as always! You always present yourself very calmly, must be the way you were brought up!;)

For full disclosure, I found this interesting:

http://www.ucolick.org/~de/AltTrans/posthoc.html

It argues that declines in bike and pedestrian fatalities is due to overall decline in numbers of folks biking and walking (which I find quite possible). However, when I was looking up my other numbers, I thought they were all 'per 100,000' numbers that would have adjusted.

If nothing else, I can admit when I make a silly argument.;) Although the helmet part may not hold quite as much water as our government would like us to believe, I do believe proper education can go a long way toward keeping our kids safer.

One interesting thing I found in that article that I haven't mentioned is the health cost of not being active: obesity, diabetes, and the like. Sure, our kids may not get injured in a bike accident, but do we leave them open to health issues nonetheless?

Hey T,
I agree with several of your points, To give an example, you have been to my new house and you also came over when I lived at the Apt.'s. At the Apt. I would never allow my kids to go out unattended. (for those who don't know me, Bad neighborhood)Where at the new house I let them go out and play all day, In fact I encourage it. I agree ppl need to encourage their children to go out and play, I watch news all day and hear about parents wanting to sue Spongebob cereal for making their kids fat, Like the little critter is the one who brought the cereal in the house in the first place. My kids would love it if I bought them Sugar filled cereal, but I stick to Cheerios. Ok I went off track. But heres my final thought I think Parents need to be responisble for their children and help guide them in the right direction, but you don't need to hold thier hand to guide them.
P.S. With your permission I would like to link this discussion to my website and open it up for some of my subscribers opinion. Let me know if its ok.

as a fellow libertarian, i like to blame the feds! if we could shrink the size and scope of the federal government and limit their power to regulate every aspect of our lives, and then do away with such dysfunctional and wasteful social programs like medicare (and privatize social security, while we're at it), we could all afford private health savings accounts and all your b*tching about other poeple's bad behavior upping your premiums would be moot! oh, and all this booster seat business has GOT to stop-- i would have been boostered until i was seventeen.......
sorry for the rant; how about this for a talking point? physical freedom vs. intellectual freedom? i know i sound too paranoid about cutting those apron strings, but on the other hand, i am a libertarian, and i believe wholeheartedly in personal (and fiscal!) freedom. that is why i have never "babytalked" to the boy. that is why every question gets answered, no matter how difficult, to the best of my ability. he has yet to ask about sex, and i am greatful that girls are still "icky", but when he does, we'll discuss that, too. you name it, we have talked about it; babies, death, divorce, cancer, strokes, "cuss" words, bullies, dissection, deformity, disability, and the internal combustion engine to name a few.
i will let him go play with the neighbor kid, out of my sight, but i won't let him cross the busy road that leads to my parents' house. i answer every question he has, but i monitor his internet activity and prescreen all his books and movies. i don't think there's any damage done from his being limited more physically than intellectually; in fact, i'll wager that having open
discussions with his parents has taught him more about respect and honesty (and built more "character") than three hours alone in the woods with a "poking stick" could ever do.

Thanks folks, you're definitely lively.=)

Rodney, you are always welcome to link to anything talked about here!

MamaB, you need to get off your keister and get your blog started...;) I'll do whatever I can to help! You can even use a subdomain off mine if you like. (fourfooteight.loopingthehen.com, for example) =)

Ok great I was going to leave a comment this morning just some thoughts I had on the subject But I'll post in my blog so as not to take p all your space. For those interested my blog is myspace.com/wolfsbane114. See ya there.

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