I witnessed foolishness today

Stick895 · Aug 23, 2013

Even doing everything "right" is no guarantee. Kids get injured or killed everyday and it has nothing at all to do with what their parents did or didn't do.

jerrybob · Aug 23, 2013

Midniteoyl said:
What REALLY gets me is the folk flying on a lawn mower holding a toddler.

Our state had a terrible incident a few months ago.......a grandpa ran over his 3 yr. old grandson while mowing backwards. The youngster was killed. Terrible, terrible incident. We all need to think and be careful....all the time.

LD1 · Aug 23, 2013

Sysop said:
I have more issue with a parent that gives a kid unsupervised internet access or uses a TV as a babysitter and pays no attention to their kids...

Agreed. And thank you.

What I do, is no different than anyone else I know growing up in the country. My kid is NOT going to grow up a lazy couch potato that wont go outside for nothing. And he certainly isnt going to grow up in a bubble. We work in the garage together, he plays with my wrenches (real ones), we mow together, he helps me load firewood (the smaller rounds), He loves to drive my truck in the driveway when I am hooking or unhooking the trailer, etc. He is going to grow up an have a meaningful childhood. Not playing video games for 10 hours a day.

Sysop · Aug 23, 2013

jerrybob said:
We all need to think and be careful....all the time.

Agreed, and we need to also be able to accept sometimes all the thinking and being careful there is, isn't enough. Thinking we can control everything is a big reason why many people can't cope with tragic losses. Thinking we can control everything is a big reason for a lot of the tragic losses we experience, but tragic losses are going to occur whether you like it or not, think things through or not, and are careful or not.

Coyote machine · Aug 23, 2013

Bigkitty said:
You hit the nail right on the head. Very well put....

Thanks! I try hard to 'nail it' if possible!

Common sense is in short supply these days!

Coyote machine · Aug 23, 2013

Stick895 said:
Even doing everything "right" is no guarantee. Kids get injured or killed everyday and it has nothing at all to do with what their parents did or didn't do.

You're missing the point completely. There are NO guarantees in life. Best one can hope for is tragedy doesn't befall them or their family/friends. Not doing one's best and exercising sound judgement to keep children out of harm's way is just poor parenting. Yes, accidents can and do happen, BUT placing a child on a one operator machine is just stupid, and stupid can't be fixed, unfortunately. Just ask the grandfather, or his family cited above, if he'd do it differently, if he could, after having run over and KILLED his grandson.

Budweiser John · Aug 23, 2013

We are on the second or third generation of clueless. What ever happened to teaching marketable skills in the educational system?
I'm not suggesting you give a chain saw to a two year old or turn a ten year old loose with a hundred horsepower tractor but kids who grew up fifty years age were a lot better prepared to under the risks and dynamics of machinery and equipment.

Midniteoyl · Aug 23, 2013

Budweiser John said:
We are on the second or third generation of clueless. What ever happened to teaching marketable skills in the educational system?
I'm not suggesting you give a chain saw to a two year old or turn a ten year old loose with a hundred horsepower tractor but kids who grew up fifty years age were a lot better prepared to under the risks and dynamics of machinery and equipment.

DUH! It wasnt the 'Computer Age' then! :laughing:

Mace Canute · Aug 23, 2013

Sysop said:
This post demonstrates someone who always thinks they know better than everyone else. It is impossible to "rate" the level of safety in a given situation unless you are there, you can't know better than the person that's there. Anyone can end up injured or killed doing almost anything... Life is full of risks if you pull yourself away from the PC and TV.

I have more issue with a parent that gives a kid unsupervised internet access or uses a TV as a babysitter and pays no attention to their kids...

Apparently you see nothing wrong with putting a three year old child between an adult and the seat belt because you refuse to believe anything could ever possibly happen that would cause the unit to stop so suddenly that the operator's weight crushes the toddler against the seat belt which could easily result in internal injuries.