Outdoor SafetyFeb 22 '00 Write an essay on this topic.For a child, the world outside of your home can be an amazing and magical experience for them. However, as a parent the outside can be a potential hazard at each glance. My daughter is only three years old and at this age she is never out of site or earshot from my husband or me, but we have begun to teach her many lessons for her to know when she is able to experience the outside with more freedom. As parents we want our children to experience the outside to the fullest extent, this means playing, exploring, and learning as they run about. However, we also want to teach them to be as safe as they can while away from home. It is unfortunate that in today's world we have so many people that can pose a potential hazard to our children. I have told my daughter not to talk to strangers, not to take candy from someone she does not know, and never get in a strangers car. Yes, I am with her outside now, but I may not always be, so I want her to learn at this young age that she cannot do this. I have made a point to get to know all of my neighbors, especially those with children. I have discussed with my daughter who it is acceptable to accept things from. An example would be my next door neighbor,Tammy, she is the mother of five children and I have come to know her very well. My daughter is allowed to play over there, accept food or candy and at times has even gone to Sunday School with them but this is only after she comes to get permission from me. My neighbor will also call me before she gives my daughter anything and will come over with my daughter to ask if she can go somewhere with them. I think it is very important for your friends and neighbors to know what you expect regarding your child and that they respect your wishes. By knowing your neighbors you can also have an extra safety net for your child when they are away from you. You can depend on your neighbors to also look out for your child and also report to you if they are doing something that is unacceptable. Even though I feel I know my neighbors well and for the most part regard them as an extra safety net, I still have explained to my daughter that if someone were to touch her in an unacceptable place that she is to come and tell my husband or me. I also told her that we will never be mad at her should this happen and she should never be afraid to tell us. This is unfortunate that I have to tell my three year old daughter this, but this happens too much in the lives of many children today. We must also teach our children the importance of not running out into the middle of the street, they must look both ways before crossing. We practice this with my daughter each time we cross the street. I hold her hand and ask her to look both ways, she will then tell me if she sees a car coming. If she does not, then she says "it is safe to cross Mommy", I am looking also to see if she is correct. I stress to her that the reason it is important to look both ways for cars is because the driver of a car may not always be able to see a child or may not be able to stop in time should a child run out in front of them. My daughter seems to understand this explanation as she will then say to me "oh and the car could hit them". Another important lesson I have taught my daughter is not to go near or touch animals she sees outside. This includes the dog that may be leashed in a neighbors backyard or a stray. My explanation is that not all animals want to be petted and could actually nip at her. This my daughter understands because my one Aunt's dog did actually try to bite her once. Dogs are not the only animals my daughter is told not to touch, cats, raccoons and any other form of wild life. If my daughter wants to go near a certain animal she is instructed to come and get me or my husband first. While I may seem overprotective to some, I feel it is important to insure that my daughter does not get bit by anything and I do not wish her to go through the painful regimen should the animal have rabies. Another important lesson I have taught my daughter is to never go near a swimming pool without an adult around. This includes the full size pools as well as the inflatable pool we have in our backyard. A child can drown in a very small amount of water and I cannot stress enough how important it is that a child knows not to go near a pool without adult supervision. It takes just a second for a child to fall into a pool and possibly drown. I do not want to ever experience that second with my daughter and I hope by my repeated instruction that my daughter will always remember this lesson. I have also told my daughter the importance of never eating any of the berries, apples, plums or any other foliage that is present outside. While this may seem strange to some to bring this up to my daughter, it actually is not. There are many trees in the neighborhood that are not good to eat or have been sprayed with something that could be dangerous to my daughter or any other child. I know as a child, my brothers, sister and I all ate the plums off of our tree in front of our house, but we knew that they were acceptable to eat and the tree had not been treated with any chemicals that could be dangerous to us. While there are many other dangers that are present outside that could potentially harm a child, I feel these are the most important lessons that we can teach any child to keep them as safe as possible. It is important for a child to have their fun exploring the wonders and magic of the environment and maybe by teaching them the safest way to achieve this we will save them from harm's way.  |
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