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To the young woman crossing Novalea and Duffus on April 3 afternoon with the 2-year-old toddler running at least 15 feet in front of her through the crosswalk: You, lady, are an idiot. That’s how kids get run over. It’s shocking to see such a lack of regard for the child’s safety. —Nervous Onlooker
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2018.
4 Comments
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Maybe s/he got away from her for a second.. toddlers can be quick
It truly does only take a second of scooping down to pick up a dropped item or to help tie the shoelace of another child for a younger kid to race swiftly away. Children have no real idea until surprisingly old, and no way to be taught, outside of extremes, that a car or otherwise could cause them great harm. Little ones have wildly differing personalities as well. My youngest would never have run into the road before me, but my oldest would have done so in the blink of an eye. I recall instead of others encouraging caution with my parenting, that people would say the opposite to me, that I should “relax” and “not be so anxious” while I was quickly scanning situations and keeping my more risk-prone kiddo, as near as possible to me when out in public (as I knew from experience what might occur if I did not). I understand why the OP was worried. They were right to feel so, but the unfortunate event likely happened through no real fault of anyone involved.
@lilac
“Children have no real idea until surprisingly old, and no way to be taught…”
Bruh, the first thing my mom taught me was that I was not to EVER go near the road unless holding her hand or that of another guardian’s/chaperone’s. Well, that and the good ol’ “Hands are for helping, not hurting” schtick. If you ingrain the fact that running out into traffic means big big BIG trouble for them, whether or not they get hurt, they tend to catch on fast. Kids might be stupid (no shade on kids, that’s just the truth) but they generally prefer not to get into trouble if they can help it.
Misled Onlooker,
Helicopter your own children, and don’t tell other people how to raise their kids.
Your children are LITERALLY 3200% more likely to run away than they are getting into a situation that you’re worried about. STOP.
Afford your children some freedom, and let them fuck up. You don’t need them in a bubble, they don’t need to be kept safe.
They need to learn their boundaries, respect the world they live in, and not have some Naggy old lady telling them what they should and shouldn’t do… Maybe this is why so many children run away?
Good luck holding your mom’s hand to that Job Interview, or while you’re faced with life every day.
Statistics show that since 2014, in our Province:
1 child has been abducted by strangers.
5 have died by accident.
186 Runaways.
Source: http://www.canadasmissing.ca/pubs/2017/index-eng.htm
Nervous Reader.