It’s back to school time! Starting school can mean getting back to routine, learning and fun; but it can also mean back to sickness, injuries and stress. The following article from Reader’s Digest discusses the most common ways children are injured at schools and gives great tips on how to put safety first! Whether travelling to school, enjoying play time at recess or taking the bus, learn the most important safety tips to pass along to your kids.
Every September I take some time to write letters to the teachers my children will have for the upcoming year. I have found this to be an effective way to help the teacher get to know my child more quickly, and to understand who they are beyond their informal and scripted report card from the year before.
In this letter I describe my child – what they are like as a student and a person, and what they do and don’t do well. But beyond this, I also explain the culture of our family when it comes to homework. I remember when my daughter was in kindergarten she didn’t finish a homework assignment. I got a note home from the teacher highlighting this. It was written to me. I responded with: “I already passed kindergarten, please hold my child responsible for not meeting her classroom expectations”. I have enough to do. I have to parent them, keep them safe, plan for the present and future, make sure they get along with their siblings, ensure they become responsible and respectful adults, have clean clothes, food to eat. I really don’t need to do their homework.
My children know my philosophy on schoolwork. This is for them, not me. It is up to them to know what is due and when, and to ask for help if they need it. They are not to cram and ask for things the night before. Bedtime is bedtime, not to be extended because of homework procrastination. When I help them this is in the form of assisting them to organize the work, break it into manageable chunks, showing them simple ways to understand the content, and asking them if they feel this will meet the expectations of the classroom.
I expect teachers to hold my children accountable for completing their assignments. If this means no recess, extra homework, a failing grade, trip to the principal’s office, so be it. I trust the school system and the measures they have in place to educate my children – if I didn’t, I would pursue other options. Learning, like working, involves responsibility, commitment, accountability, organization, planning and time-management. Kindergarten and beyond is the perfect place to accumulate these skills, as I feel the true value of school is not in the content, but in learning how to learn, be around others, and manage the expectations of someone in charge.
In Kindergarten my girls had to participate in a car rally. The task was simple – make a car, and parade around the school in a foot race, holding the car around your waist. One kid arrived with a car made of wood. It had working lights, mirrors, and tires that rotated on a functional axle. He couldn’t even lift it. I wonder if his dad failed the assignment.
No matter your age, whether you are starting school for the first time, returning to the same school, moving up to middle or high school, moving away to university or going back to school after years in the workforce, the words “Back to school” can bring on both excitement and anxiety. Many feel excited for the opportunities and experiences that may come, however, many also feel frightened and anxious over what lies ahead. The specific anxieties may differ depending on the age of the student or the specific situation, however, how you as a parent or caregiver helps and supports the student through them is extremely important. The following article published by Global News discusses the best strategies for calming anxious minds and making “back to school” as pleasant as possible!
Global News: Back-to-school is back-to-stress for some kids; coping techniques can help
Yup, that is me. That mom at the bus stop that, while waiting for my kids to board the bus, ends up supervising and “parenting” the other kids that are not behaving. I remember a few years back I was waiting for the bus with my daughter. There were several kids waiting with us, and a few parents. Three boys were first in line, standing on the curb. They were pushing, shoving and playing around as boys do, each time falling or running onto the road. I told them to stop what they were doing, stand in line properly and patiently wait for the bus. My neighbor called me a meanie.
I am happy to be a meanie when it comes to safety, especially with children. Part of this is the curse of working in auto insurance. I know if one of these boys gets hit by a passing car, this could be life threatening or at the least, life altering. I also know the driver of that car will likely suffer life-long mental anguish knowing they inadvertently harmed a child – even if this was not their fault. Also, my child, and the other children at the bus stop that would witness such an accident would never be the same. They could have nightmares, flashbacks, and suffer from traffic anxiety, an aversion to riding the bus, or attending school. Lastly, from a personal liability perspective, I can’t help thinking that if children are being unsafe, and get injured, and this is witnessed by a responsible adult who did not try to prevent it, that adult could be held partially responsible. Either way, the outcome is bad for all involved.
Transportation by bus is one of the safest ways to get children to and from school. According to transport Canada, only .3 percent of personal injury or death from collisions involved school buses. Of the 142 deaths involving a school bus over the last 10 years, only 5 have involved passengers of the bus with the rest being drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or other motorists (http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp2436-rs200702-menu-133.htm). Therefore, children are more unsafe around buses than they are in buses. In fact, riding the bus is safer than walking or getting a ride in a regular vehicle. What becomes key then is helping children to understand pedestrian safety, the rules for getting on an off a bus, and waiting at the bus stop.
It is back to school time. We all need to remember that children are both careless and carefree. Children are not expected to understand and process the dangers of traffic until age 10 and beyond, and as such, as responsible adults and parents we need to help them understand all aspects of bus safety and, if needed, be “meanies” when monitoring their behavior – even if they don’t belong to us.
I was a fortunate child who grew up with an inground pool. As the only house on the street with a pool in our yard, the neighborhood kids would loiter around our home hoping for an invite. My mom developed a wonderful system using a Canada flag. If the flag on our fence was up – everyone was welcome for a swim. The only rule was that the kids needed to bring a parent. Mandatory. And despite the kids that would sit on our lawn whining about not having an adult to join them, my mom was firm to the rule.
We have a pool in our yard. This is separately fenced. As our kids are getting older, and have been able to swim for years, we are giving them more freedom around the pool. As long as an adult is home, they are welcome to swim. However, the other day I was reminded of an important lesson – just because my kids can swim, that is not necessarily true for others of the same age. We had a pool party for our twins’ birthday and all the kids arrived and proceeded to jump in the pool. One child was hanging around the shallow end and I asked her if she could swim – nope. I was surprised that in dropping her off to a pool party, her parents would not mention this very important fact.
Last year in my small community an 18 month old child drowned when he was able to get outside while his father had a 15 minute nap. Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death among children aged 14 and under in Ontario, after motor vehicle accidents. Yet, like many risks, drowning is absolutely preventable. Here are some safety precautions to consider:
Constant and vigilant supervision. Supervision of any child is a full-time job. Most drowning’s occur when a child is playing near the water and falls in – not while “swimming”. So, when it comes to kids, a “within arm’s reach” rule should always apply – whether they are in, or around, water.
Using safety devices for the pool. These could include:
o Poolside Alarm- A motion sensor is installed along the pool edge, which sounds an alarm when waves are detected from a body falling into the water.
o Child Immersion Alarm- A wristband worn by a child, which will sound an alarm when they come into contact with water.
o Pool Fences- Fences should be at least four feet tall, surround the entire pool and have self-latching gates out of the reach of children. Specialized gate locks prevent children from entering the pool area, as they are complex or require adult strength to open. Gate alarms can also be installed to alert when the gate is unexpectedly opened.
o Pool Covers- A cover built to fit your pool dimensions will act as a barrier for a falling body, as they will not enter the water.
o Door locks – special locks, difficult for children to open and installed at the top of a door, prevent kids from being able to get into the yard without an adult.
Use life jackets, not just floaties. If your child is not a strong swimmer, they should always be wearing a life jacket – in a pool, at the beach, or on a boat. Like wearing a seat-belt and helmet, children should be taught from a young age that wearing a life jacket is necessary around water. From a functional standpoint, life jackets are safer than floaties. Floaties can develop small holes that actually fill with water, or can deflate, causing the child to slowly sink lower into the water. A well-fitting life jackets is designed to keep a child’s head above water, and to flip a child over onto their back to facilitate breathing. They cannot deflate. It also provides something for an adult to grasp if they need to pull the child out of the water.
Know the signs of drowning. Contrary to popular belief, drowning does not happen when people are flailing their arms, yelling and calling for help. It is actually the opposite. People that are getting into trouble in the water often look like they are climbing an invisible ladder. They can’t yell or cry for help as their body is low on oxygen and is focused on trying to keep air in, not yell it out. Know the signs – check out this link for the “8 Quiet Signs of Drowning”: http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/8-quiet-signs-of-someone-drowning/.
Knowledge of first aid. Parents should always consider having knowledge of CPR or basic water rescue. This could prove handy for many situations beyond just water safety.
Swimming lessons. Give your kids a head start by helping them to become comfortable in the water from a young age. Every minute they can stay afloat could save their life.
But remember, when it comes to children, nothing is safer than diligent and attentive supervision.
Although it’s best to be prepared and know how to avoid sunburn and heat illnesses the hot summer can bring, sometimes our best efforts fail and we need to learn how to deal with the consequences. The following from the Government’s Healthy Canadians, will help you learn how to treat a sunburn or heat stroke, 2 very common summer health issues. Although prevention is the best method, it’s best to be prepared.
Healthy Canadians: First aid advice for sunburn and heat illness
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I get very confused when I see children riding bikes without helmets. Over the last many years the safety benefits of a helmet for biking, skiing, skateboarding, ice skating (and many other sports) has been well studied. Research shows that helmets can be extremely effective in preventing head injuries and ¾ of all cycling fatalities are the result of head trauma. You don’t even have to hit a car or tree to sustain a head injury – the ground or even your handlebars are often enough.
The laws in Ontario are clear: since October 1, 1995 anyone under the age of 18 is required to ride a helmet on a road or sidewalk (http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/safety/helmet/helmet_law.htm). Based on an increasing number of adult cycling deaths by head injury, it is likely that this law will soon be extended to adults as it is in other provinces.
So, considering the laws and the well-publicised risks, why are children (including young children) still seen riding bikes without helmets?
As adults, I recognize that we were not raised to wear helmets. Adopting this practice has been difficult as we find it unnatural, maybe uncomfortable, and probably uncool. However, most of us likely wear seatbelts when in a vehicle. Why? BECAUSE WE WERE RAISED THAT WAY. Seatbelt laws in Ontario were passed in 1976 and so many of us were raised in the era of this as mandatory. Many of us probably don’t even have to think about our seatbelt anymore as it is part of our regular “get-in-the-car” routine and we feel naked and exposed without it. We need to apply the same concept of “normal” to our children regarding helmets.
There are two main reasons why children need to wear helmets. 1. They are safe and have been shown to save lives and reduce disability. 2. IT IS THE LAW. As a parent, by not requiring that your child wear a helmet on their bike you are not only putting them at risk, but are also teaching them that laws don’t matter. And I am not talking about the diligent parents whose children leave the house with a helmet on, to later have this on their handlebars or undone on their head. I am mostly talking about the young kids in my neighbourhood who are out on their bikes without helmets, often under the supervision of their parents, and are thus not being taught that helmets are law, mandatory, and safe.
I am going to hazard a guess that no parent would put their child in a car without a seat-belt. Heck, child seats are also law and until a certain age these are five point and offer more protection than the adult restraint. So, for the same reasons you put your child in a seatbelt (protection and law) you need to ensure they are wearing a helmet for biking (skating, skiing, skateboarding). And lead by example – get a helmet for yourself and model the appropriate behavior. And be firm: no helmet should equal no bike. No discussion.