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October 16, 2005

Adventures in Parenting -- flashback

Take a close look at this picture, circa December 1955:

Large tv on small table.
Exposed powercord and antenna wire.
Lead tinsel on Christmas tree.
Small town decorations under tree.
18 month old girl within easy reach of all.

Ain't it a wonder how many kids did make it to adulthood from those times when the phrase "childproofing" was unknown?

Yes, that is a picture of me.

Posted by Darleen at October 16, 2005 07:23 PM

Comments

And you're still alive!

Parents these days overreact too much.

Hell, I let my kids throw scissors at eachother all the time. They both see great out of their eye.

Posted by: Digger at October 17, 2005 04:29 AM

I have a strong tendency to agree with these arguments (Hell, I _make_ these arguments all the time!).

But at the same time, I do recall one time when I decided I wanted to plug in the neato sign that hung on the wall next to my parents' bar -- a beer ad sign like you'd find in a bar. It turned and lit up and was really neat (and I was really young).

The plug on the floor, the socket behind a shelf, so I had to use my finger to feel for the socket and guide the plug in with the tip of my finger.

I imagine you can guess where this is going.

A weird STRONG tingly feeling shot up my arm, and I jerked my hand back. In the end no harm, but it could have been _much_ worse.

Posted by: Strider at October 20, 2005 07:26 AM

Quick addendum...

No permanent damage, except for the twitch. And the speech impediment. And the hunchback.
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Note #2: I had a roommate in college who was only alive because he didn't wear his seatbelt one day and was thrown clear of the car when his friend launched it off the road and flipped it (crushing the passenger side). That's part of why the Nanny State pisses me off -- they make laws insisting you MUST do something that would have killed this guy.
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Digger, your comment reminds me of the one funny joke I ever heard out of Andrew Dice Clay:

"What's the big deal? I've been smoking for fifteen years. My lung feels great!"

Posted by: Strider at October 20, 2005 07:33 AM

Lets put our kids into a plastic bubble and roll them around, just so they don't get hurt. Then when they go out into the "real world" they'll get sick and really appreciate how we "protected them". I was one of the plastic bubble kids. I had asthma as a kid. My mom never let my feet tough the ground. Finally, my docyor told her to take my shoes off and let me run in the dirt. Best thing she ever did!

Posted by: frankr at October 21, 2005 06:49 AM

Sorry to be late to the discusion, but a recent study showed that it's "unsafe" to sit in the front seat of a car with airbags until the age of 15. Well, in KS (and some others) it's legal drive (with an adult driver present) before it's safe to sit in the front seat.

I'll never understand the nanny state. never.

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 24, 2005 01:47 PM