Guidelines for Protecting Our Children

If there’s anything that annoys me most, it’s the absence of stepping up and advocating for children. Ever since I became a mother, my awareness of the fragility and defenselessness of kids in general has heightened exponentially. I cannot stand by and see adults being careless or reckless around children. I will not stand by silently if I see children’s needs and rights being violated. And hence this written piece, which I hope will circulate in good faith to enlighten all those who read it.

Car Safety

Children ages 12 and under belong in the backseat. This means no child seated up front in the passenger seat. And certainly no child nestled in the lap of the driver or the front passenger. I can’t believe I have to say this, but if you value your child’s life, seat him/her in the back. If your vehicle was to be involved in a collision, and your underage child was seated upfront, his/her body would not be able to withstand the impact of the deployed airbags. It could cause potentially lethal trauma to his/her frame. That’s if s/he's fastened. If s/he's not fastened and seated up front, that’s a death wish. Do you remember projectile motion from high school physics class? Not something you want to witness playing out in human format.

Children absolutely must be harnessed in their seats as the vehicle is in motion. I’ve already spelled it out once, but I won’t tire of repeating it: FASTEN YOUR CHILD’S SEATBELT. Whether in a car seat or not, a child needs to be secured. That’s non-negotiable. I’ve seen little kids standing on the back bench of the car, head fully out of the window or the sunroof, while parents drive in total disregard of how ridiculously unsafe this is.

You and all passengers in the vehicle must be secured as well. I have never been able to wrap my head around people’s so-called irritation with seatbelts. I truly don’t get it. Wear it regularly, and it becomes second nature to click it. You won’t be able to ride without it. You’ll feel naked and exposed without it. Believe me. Overcome your mental inhibitions, and get with the program.

What NOT to do in a rolling vehicle! (Fret not, these kiddos are pictured posing inside a stationary out-of-service Jeep at a museum.)

Second-Hand Smoke

It irks me to no end to see parents smoking in the near vicinity of children, and I see it almost daily. Some light up in their cars, while their kids’ faces hang out of the windows gasping for air. Are you totally senseless and inhumane? I’ve seen parents smoking near school buildings, waiting for their kids to be released at the end of the day. How can they be so inconsiderate? Other parents should shame them publicly.

Here’s another unacceptable behavior: smoking at a child’s birthday party (or any family-oriented event, for that matter). No form of smoking should be tolerated, from e-cigarettes to hookah. Venue hosts should bar adults from smoking at children’s functions, if other adults in attendance are too timid to lash out at them. Second-hand smoke kills. It’s scientifically proven. There is no debate here.

Ready for another no-brainer? Pregnant women should not smoke. Years ago, while I was working in a corporate setting, a visibly pregnant colleague stepped outside to light up. My jaw dropped as I approached her about it. She insisted that her OB-GYN had deemed it permissible to smoke up to four cigarettes per day, that the fetus would be wholly unaffected by the mother’s smoking. Could she be any more feeble-minded? Where did she come up with that stat? I still think about her to this day and pray that her now 13-year-old child is miraculously normal.

Discipline

If you want to discipline your child, save it for a private setting. I can’t tolerate parents who yell at their children or threaten to smack them in public. If I see it, I’m going to interfere. There is no room for violent parenting in this day and age. Reason with children calmly and logically. Check your emotions. Find a better way. Yelling, shrieking, hitting, and slapping are relics of failed parenting.

Children are not able to speak up for themselves, and often they don’t know what’s in their best interest. That’s the job of adults, to protect the sanctity of our children and to provide a clean, comfortable environment conducive to their health and happiness. Please protect your children and all children around you. Please be their voice. Don’t snub them. Cherish them and cradle them. They are our future. And tomorrow they will become the adults who protect the coming generation of children. So set the right example.