Keeping children safe in today's world is a difficult thing. As a parent, it is likely the most important job, but not always the easiest. No matter what you do as a parent, you will never be able to completely protect your child. There will always be dangerous situations out there which can bring harm.
Recent news headlines have documented several situations that one would not suspect to be dangerous for children, yet which turned deadly. The first is a story about a nine year old girl swinging on a swing set in her own backyard with her best friend. The mother was in the house and was continuously looking out to check on the children. When she last checked on the two girls they were laughing and swinging, then she looked again to find her daughter on the ground. She really thought the girl was playing, however, her child was dead. Apparently, the child swung and jumped, like so many children do, and in the process the swing set came off the ground and hit and killed her daughter. This was not a case of negligent parenting, but a case of the unforeseeable happening. The important information in this story is whether your child is at a public play area or a private one, check to make sure the equipment is grounded and secured. It may save a persons life.
In this day and age, cell phones should be given to children so they can call for help in case of emergencies. In a recent news story, a father and his two children were suddenly stuck in the snow. The father chose to stay with the car and directed the 11 & 14 year olds to walk 1 1/2 miles to their mother's home. The 11 year old girl froze to death along the way. This example is indicative of why children should have cell phones at their disposal for emergencies.
A third situation is one that hit significantly close to home for me. It is the story of a 12 year old boy who was playing soccer as a goal keeper, and in the middle of the game, while the action was on the other end of the field, he jumped up onto the goal post pulling it down onto his neck, and was instantly killed. His parents were on the sidelines. This sad story has caused soccer leagues to pin and sandbag their goals down to insure the safety of all kids.
Each of these stories have a lesson that can be taken from them. As parents, our hearts and prayers go out to all the parents who have lost a child, no matter what the circumstances. Unfortunately, accidents can not always be prevented, but learning from these situations can make us better equipped to keep our own children safe.