The Parenting Corner
Just Put On the Helmet
“It feels tight. It feels heavy. I don’t need it!” For a quick, split second I considered just taking his helmet. Thankfully, I stuck to my guns and refused his request.
A parenting decision that could have gone either way. My family and I were on the Blackstone Valley bike path last summer. My then 7-year-old son took turns complaining about being tired and about wearing a helmet. He and I took a break, and he spent a minute or two begging to take off his helmet. “It feels tight. It feels heavy. I don’t need it!” For a quick, split second I considered just taking his helmet. I couldn’t take the whining any more. Besides, we were only two minutes from the car. Thankfully, I stuck to my guns and refused his request. One minute later he was cruising down a slight decline, lost control of his bike and rammed headfirst into a cement wall. You already can imagine how it could have easily gone the other way. …
Krash Test Dumby
9:16 am on Saturday, May 21, 2011
Well, you *almost* got it right when you said "To avoid serious injury, your child should wear a helmet all the time." But then you tied that with bicycles and skates. Too bad. According to the CDC (search cdc.gov for "blue_book"), falls are the leading cause of TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injury) for the 1.7 million TBI's in the USA every year, with rates being highest for children 0 to 4 (pg 7). Per… more ›