My husband came downstairs into the living room yesterday and I said to him, “We need to do a first aid course NOW.”
His response? “Yes, let’s just add that to the list.”
What list, you ask? The list-of-stuff-we-have-to-do-asap-so-our-kids-don’t-get-hurt. Yep, I guess I now have a list. Why?
Because this weekend just gone I inadvertently saw at least six stories about a baby or toddler being seriously injured or even dying because of a product, or something around the house. I wasn’t even trying to look at the news, I just stumbled across them.
And these stories are driving me (and my husband, obviously) insane.
The world is SO full of bad news about how a toddler hurt himself jumping off a table, or a baby who choked on a bit of popcorn, or a newborn who needed reviving by his mum.
Yes, these are all absolutely terrible events and I really feel for the parents and families they have affected. I literally can’t imagine what they must be going through. I am so sad for them. But can’t we sometimes just have a break from bad news about children?
We have enough to worry about already, without being scared all the time about what could happen to our child
I know it’s important for the news to report on these things. We need to all be aware of the dangers of things around our home and in the big bad world. And from time to time we do need reminding about what we can do to prevent these things from happening.
But, what’s with ALL the scare mongering? We already know the guidelines around these things. Correctly fitting child seats. Ensuring the cords on blinds are secured. Baby-proofing the house. Safe sleeping. Refreshing our first aid. I completely agree that we do need to be reminded. Of course we do. But come on, do we need to hear EVERY SINGLE BAD STORY there is?
Top Comments
I read ones that we shouldn't worry about the stuff that makes it into news. Only freaky and rare things are newsworthy, so they are unlikely.
I'm pretty sick of mummy blogs who say how F$&King awful their kids are or what a shit time they are having. I very rarely see them talk about their kids being well behaved or doing something nice. It's always a chore and bring on the wine. Imagine how those kids are going to feel when they actually start reading those blogs. Look I know that kids can be terrible. But how about some happy stories that aren't pushing a product would be nice. The other topic I hate is the whinging about how busy they are because all they do is run around looking after the mini soccer team they've produced- well sorry but maybe you shouldn't have had so many kids! You knew the consequences of what having so many kids would be like and contraception is pretty easy to come by here in Australia.
Most people do not know what it is like having # of children, until YOU ACTUALLY DO. Because most of us no longer live in extended family units, new mothers and fathers can be woefully unprepared for the reality. And we no longer have the "village" to raise the children, so way more pressure on mum and dad. Especially as both usually work now and cost of living is so much more than previous generations. Hence the shock, the whinging and finally, the wine..
Read my blog ;) I adore my kids, love my life, and I am constantly bemused as to how weird they are ... but this doesn't change the fact my life is a whirlwind of insanity! Paid work, volunteer work, teenagers sort of does that to you ... and that is ok. It is good to hear about how other people cope especially those who cope without making alcohol a regular part of their lives!