Say What’s On Your Mind
Jul 27Have you ever witnessed a child doing something that could obviously hurt them or others around them? Have you seen this happen when their parents were right there? How many times have you seen the activity take place, but nothing was said or done by the parents to alert the child to their “bad choice” or to provide corrective (safe!) behavior skills?
This is such a challenge for me. I know that these children run high risk of injury, yet I find myself not wanting to “offend” the parent(s). Wha!? Not offend them? Isn’t it funny how we will risk being cast aside socially for the sake of another person’s well-being? Think about it.
I’ve found myself recently telling children about their activities when I realize a possible safety concern. And, I sometimes find myself doing so in an authoritative way — regardless of the presence of another parent. Obsessed? Well, possibly, but it is my career, right? I also think a lot of parents simply “don’t see” certain behaviors as risky. Or, they have that “it doesn’t happen to me” mentality (that’s a topic for another time). Often they end up sitting in the emergency room beating themselves up for not having put a stop to the behavior.
I think it’s time we speak our mind. Just be careful and provide “supportive” or “constructive” alternatives that will help the child understand that it is more than a reprimand. Give them the opportunity to know that they CAN be responsible for their own safety.
Speaking of “Personal Responsibility“… that is the title of one of the songs on my upcoming CD. If you haven’t visited my site to see what’s new or to hear some of the song samples, go now! Rich Palmer’s Safety Songs
I’ll talk more about teaching children responsibility for their safety soon.
