Childproof locks

[ERNIEB]

Those of you with children or even grandchildren, and with childproof car door locks, How old do you think a child should be before you disable the childproofing?
I'd like to hear what some of you think before I explain this one.

Ernie

 

[Joe_W]

I would say sometime after age 27. That's about the time their hormones stop destroying their brain cells, and they start to act responsible. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Joe W.

 

[Bird]

I'll look forward to the explanation, Ernie./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Our youngest was 11 when we got our first car with that kind of doorlocks, so they were never used.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

I think I know where you're going with this and I would say a teen-ager. Even then it's suspect. Kids do stuff just to see what will happen and don't always have the best common sense.

 

[gator]

I'd say wait till they are in their forties. Wife got a car with those dang locks a couple of years ago. Came in one day and said back door on car is broke, won't open from inside or out. Went out to "see" for myself, sure enough, broke. Got tools and got inside to take off door panel, saw this strange looking latch, moved it and door opened, thats how we found out we had child safety locks. Still do't know how it got locked!

Wally <font color=green>JD 750 "GATOR"</font color=green>

 

[ERNIEB]

It seems like I am always butting heads with the school or teachers. Our school district is rural, but covers alot of territory. In past years the boards in their infinite wisdom put a large middle school next door to a High School (5A), and then built an elementary school right across the street. Admin offices , ISD police, maintence, bus garage are also there.
Last year when the kids started Kinder I saw the folly in this. We had decided to take the kids rather then let them ride the bus. In the morning there is so much traffic in the area they need to have 4 police or constables to direct it. All of the parking is for teachers, staff, etc except for one small lot that is for "Visitors" and that gets filled up by high school students who don't have a sticker to park in the high school lot.
In front of the elementary there are two circular drives. one is buses only, the other is for parents dropping off their children. They have 2 or 3 teachers or helpers who stand out there and open the doors and get the kids out. they don't seem to want the parents to get out at all.
This morning one of them walks up and opens the door, and tells my son " Ethan your old enough to open the door and get out yourself" I tell her he can't because of the childproof locks. "Well" she says with a smart tone in her voice, " you know there is a way to disable that." Yes. I said but I didn't think now was the time to do it. " When we have a line it would sure make things go faster" she says while giving me a dirty look and slamming the door shut.
Both of the kids are 6 and in the first grade. I know this is a long story, but I just wanted to see if I'm being an over protective parent, or what. I won't even go into the problems and confrontations I've had when I take the kids to school in the dump truck. I'm beganing to see why more parents are home schooling these days.

Ernie

 

[TerryinMD]

Ernie,

You just need to look the errant teacher square into the eye and tell them to bug off!! It is not their business to tell you how to maintain your childs safety. Just because they are inconvenienced is just too damn bad. Their job is to teach, not to tell a parent what to do about child proof locks.

Now, if your child had a black and blue mark on their arm from playing football with his friends, I bet that teacher would be asking you how the mark got there.

When you feel that the time has come to disable the locks, then do it. You will know based upon your comfort with the child being responsible in the back seat without the child proofing.

I believe you know what to do.

Terry

 

[ejb]

Re: Childproof locks/homeschooling

>>I'm beganing to see why more parents are home schooling these days.


Just one of many reasons my wife and I have decided to take that route for our 3 kids...requires a big committment of both parents, but what better investment in the world could one make? My daughter has friends in school and we are already amazed at the arrogance and incompetence that we hear about the public school teachers. Not painting all of them with the same broad brush, because I know there are the exceptions, the highly motivated and effective teacher that really cares...but IMO, unfortunately they are the exception, not the rule, and in the public school system, you don't really get to decide.

 

[RPM]

Re: Childproof locks - and teachers

Ah yes ... big government is alive and well in the US education system. In no other country in the world does a person have such individual power to abuse - and potentially throw the parents life into complete disarray.

Locally we have had problems with:

1. Teachers acting as doctors - and telling parents that they wanted a child out of their class unless they were treated for Attention Deficit Disorder - of course, the teacher diagnosed this.

2. Teachers acting as relgious police (Taleban?!!) - and giving parents a hard time about opting out of activities they don't consider appropriate for their children - because it is too much hard work to prepare an alternate activity. (e.g. Halloween)

3. Teachers acting as thought police - and having parents pulled in to ask them about why a child has reported firearms in the home etc.

The list goes on and on. My kids aren't even in school yet - but my wife is a teacher and she is horrified by the mindset of some members of the school-system.

Patrick

P.S. 6 years old is WAY too young to disable the child-proof locks. Perhaps you should place a call to the principal and ask if the school is formally accepting liability for that recommendation. This game works both ways.

Of course, some kids mature faster than others ... but my experience is in a group of kids they gravitate to the lowest common denominator!!!

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Childproof locks - and teachers

Unfortunately with the schools all of this is true. Teachers have quit being teachers to a large extent and now act as police, doctors, etc. as mentioned. If they would put all of their efforts into teaching and leave the rest to us parents we would both be alot better off and so would our kids.

Case in point. My daughter was having a hard time with math. Well the teacher that she has teaches what she calls the touchpoint system of math. Anyone ever hear of it? Well I found out what it was and tryed to teach it to Mesa. She just didn't get it. So I showed her another way. In one night she was doing all of her math problems right and she was very excited. The next day she comes home from school and she is working on her math problems crying her eyes out. It seems her teacher told her that when she was at school she did it her way and when she was at home she could do it her dad's way. Now how ridiculous is that? I went to the prinicpal and he said they must have uniformity in school and everyone needs to do things the same way. I'm not sure what we're going to do yet but I'm not going to keep her there. I would love to home school her but she loves going to school and she doesn't want to be taken out of school and stay home and learn.

BTW Ernie, I thought you were talking about kids opening the doors when they are locked. My six year old decides awhile back that she wants to see what happens when you open the door going down the road. Luckily she was buckled in. I had never used the childproof locks before but I do now!