A lot of babies die while sleeping (SIDS). Therefore, we must outlaw sleeping...at least for babies.

A few years ago, I picked up a book, but sigh, I never read it,

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children

When my wife was running a home daycare business (I'm sure she'd admit she was clinically insane at the time), nothing scared her more than when one of the little boys she looked after fell down and hurt himself. Not because the little boy hurt himself; they do that, and they recover. It was the Wrath of Mom that worried her.

[pointless threadjack]How 'bout them Giants, by the way?[/pointless threadjack]

according to some reaserch, a lot of SIDS death are pretty much murder

I'll admit I've spent much of my life being afraid about one thing or another, especially since our daughter was born in 1996. Nevertheless, I realize I can't possible control everything about my daughter's world, much less my own, so I give myself a few minutes to get the mindless panic out of my system, then move on.

P.S.: Having been raised as a Roman Catholic, though I'm not strict about it these days, I personally find it comforting to say a little prayer to keep my loved ones safe, happy, and well. Your mileage may vary! :-)

"A lot of babies die while sleeping (SIDS). Therefore, we must outlaw sleeping...at least for babies."

Hey, a lot of adults die of heart attacks in their sleep. Therefore, sleeping is clearly a risky activity that should be strictly regulated. There's clearly some corporate interest somewhere that makes a lot of money off of sleeping and is shoving it down the throats of innocent Americans. Send out OWS to attack Big Sleep!

(And year, RPM, I don't feel quite so bad about them kicking Atlanta's ass now.)

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." - Helen Keller

If a deaf and blind woman can figure that out...

...well, humans invent all sorts of things to avoid thinking about their true situation.

"My {deity} will save me." That's who put you in that situation, by your own reckoning.

"I can drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time." But not in any sort of emergency, and when called on it, you know.

"Global warming isn't real." You didn't look at the actual data because it's real work - you're just parroting something to be comfortable and to object to being told what to do, understandable as it's the same folks who brought you the TSA...

There. If that isn't threadjack fodder, nothing is!

Husband and I were talking about how we'd like to open a restaurant with a playground- most of the family restaurants around here that have playgrounds absolutely KILL it. He made a comment about how it would have to be a really expensive, safe, well thought-out playground so the kids couldn't hurt themselves. My counter was that our liability insurance would be much more important than the playground design, because kids will get hurt no matter what you do.

Last week at Boy Scout I brought a lariat to show them how it's done. Two of the mothers complained, saying it could lead to someone getting accidentally hung. Oy.

Fear is very misplaced in this country. Once you accept the concept that the media sensationalises some fears in order to sell more news or political ideas, you are left with a problem: what should I actually fear? How do I find that out without going to the media?
Personally I go the statistics route, (yes some lie using them, but if one knows how to truely read them, there is truth in them. Another way I use is a rule of thumb of how common something is, Do I know several people X happened to? if so it is common, and worth worrying about.
Do I know a person X happened to? Then it is uncommon. Worth a little concern.
Do I know anyone who knows anyone that X happened to? If yes, it is rare, worth only minimal concern. If no, it is extremely rare, why should I worry about it?

Unfortunately with the sensationalising that goes on in the media, I feel people have forgotten how to judge safety at all, which leads to overparenting and the rebellious, adrenaline junkies.

Our 2 yo grandson is hurting himself all of the time. I've told my step-daughter that she will be on a first name basis with the ER docs at the nearby hospital. When she picks him up, the usual discussion is on how he ate, how he slept and what caused that mark on his face\head\body.

We have childproofed our apartment as best we can, locking cupboards, etc., but he goes at full speed and runs into furniture or just trips and falls. Luckily, he does the same things at home, so his mother doesn't freak out.

Our job is to make sure he can't get at the drain cleaner or run into traffic. He will have to learn for himself that slowing down will eliminate some of the bumps and bruises.

heh, so occasionally I watch this train wreck of a show called Gold Rush [Alaska] on discovery, but one of the most interesting things is that one of the miners is a 17 year old kid taking over his grandfather's mine. Driving all of the heavy equipment, making decisions, the whole enchilada...

And doing as well as any other adult. In a dangerous place. With dangerous stuff. I learned to drive hay trucks when I was 8, along with tractors, on my best friends farm.

Sadly I can't give my kids the same experiences, and I think it is disadvantageous for them. Their outlook is different. They kinda freak out if the car breaks down. [This is a learned response from their mother] When you have responsibility, and take responsibility, you learn to rely on yourself, and ask for help WHEN you need it.

I bought into this whole safety neurotics when my kids were small, and I wish I hadn't.

"what'll we do if we don't have a cell phone?"
'ya know, I broke down once, and I had to walk all night to the next town to get to a phone and a tow. things happen. how you react to that is character.'

You can imagine how I got eviscerated by my ex over saying that. In her world changing the tire on your car is best left to professionals you reach by cell phone, and you can never allow a child to run an errand.

THIS is what will kill western civilization.

They're all going to die anyway.