Why I do this job...

Starlight · Jan 24, 2008

So, this is a spin-off. I've never done a spin-off. But, as we all know, this is thankless job, and few of us are lucky enough to get paid for it. I'm not looking for the reason that you became a CPST, we have other threads on that. I'm looking for the specific reasons you love being a CPST, those little things, you know? We all get all kinds of crap, and very little love, from the parents/families we are trying to help, and we vent all the time... But today, lets share the good things, okay?

An Aurora · Jan 24, 2008

Last weekend I spent 4 hours of my Saturday in the pouring rain, freezing. It was totally worth it because a little girl who came in FF in a horribly installed car seat left RF and safe

Starlight · Jan 24, 2008

Even though I feel about as loved as the parking meter enforcement dude, I get major satisfaction seeing a parent finally get it...

For my next door neighbors, I've provided installation/education no less than 6 times. I swear, Dad purposefully installs the seats wrong. But yesterday, as he was juggling 2 sick kids, he asked for my help. I grabbed one of the seats, and started to put it in, and he's like "hey, hey, hey, that's [baby's] seat. You're doing it the wrong way." It was a bad day, lol, but I would have realized what I was doing (putting it FF, instead of RFing) in a second, you know? Dad's like, "Fine, you watch the kids for me, and I'll do this." So, that's what I did. And OMG, he got it right! Seeing the satisfaction on his face when I gave his seats a (gentle) shove to see if they met the 1 inch rule and I couldn't move them at all, that is what makes it worth it to me. I finally got through to him - and not just on how tight the seats need to be. When I first started working with them, baby was FF at 9 months old. But he's 13 months now, and he's RFing.

An Aurora · Jan 24, 2008

I'm glad he's back RF!! :thumbsup:

skaterbabs · Jan 24, 2008

I absolutely love it when I'm out somewhere and I run into someone and they tell me how they told a friend ____ because that's what I taught them

Victorious4 · Jan 24, 2008

I'm altruistic, I just like helping people, even those who act like they shouldn't be deserving of my time

Seriously, I really like meeting other families & it's just plain FUN to play with various carseats in various cars -- kinda pathetic that this is my source of enjoyment, eh...?

Starlight · Jan 24, 2008

Would this be the "woo hoo! I installed a XXX in a [2 door sports car]" type post? LOL

That is awesome. I do get great enjoyment from a great 3 across situation.

azgirl71 · Jan 24, 2008

I do it for a few reasons.
I lost a child, not in a colision, but i know hat it is like to have to wonder "What would my child be doing now"? Also the guilt that comes along with losing a child is very hard to get over.

I have a friend I grew up with that lost her 4 yo daughter just over 10 yrs ago in a collision because of a severe case of seatbelt syndrome.

I also love to help people.

LuvBug · Jan 24, 2008

that moment while discussing CPS with the parent, that you see it CLICK in their mind. The instance when they understand what you are saying and decide to heed that advice!
It really is the best feeling when you know you have educated someone. Probably why teachers still do it too

fyrfightermomma · Jan 24, 2008

I start CPS class next month. The fire department I work for used to offer checks but due to budget cuts and too much stress for only 2 people doing them they stopped two years ago. We have now gotten the ok to send more people (all the surrounding communites have CPS techs, but only perform them for residents of their communities, so residents in our community never had anyway to get them done). I personally want to do it becuase as a firefighter I have seen 3 children die in collisions. One was a 3 year old in a booster who was ejected, one was an 8 year old in a seatbelt who died of massive abdominal trauma from the seatbelt and one was a newborn in an infant bucket (we never could figure out if anything was wrong with the seat...I think it was just too bad a collision to survive). I have personally done CPR on children from accidents and hope to never ever again in my life tell a mother her child is dead. For that reason I will do everything in my power to educate people and show people how to properly restrain their children. If they don't want to listen, fine....but at least I knw I tried. If I can keep one child from dying, it's worth it to me

scatterbunny · Jan 24, 2008

I remember how panicky I was when I found this board and realized how much I didn't know about child passenger safety. I remember how GREAT it felt to learn new things that I could put to use to keep my child safer, it felt so EMPOWERING to have the necessary information to make better choices.

Because of that, I wanted to become a CPST so I could help others achieve the same feelings of enlightenment and empowerment. It's an AWESOME feeling knowing that children are safer and more protected from the number one killer because of the education I helped provide to the parents.

minismom · Jan 24, 2008

scatterbunny said:
I remember how panicky I was when I found this board and realized how much I didn't know about child passenger safety. I remember how GREAT it felt to learn new things that I could put to use to keep my child safer, it felt so EMPOWERING to have the necessary information to make better choices.

Because of that, I wanted to become a CPST so I could help others achieve the same feelings of enlightenment and empowerment. It's an AWESOME feeling knowing that children are safer and more protected from the number one killer because of the education I helped provide to the parents.

:yeahthat:

That's exactly how I feel, except I'm not a tech yet.

flipper68 · Jan 24, 2008

1) I work at Safe Kids events and I know most of the techs/instructors so it's fun to catch up with everyone.

2) The look of shock/embarassment on a parent's face as the cheerios, goldfish, pennies, french fries, broken crayons, et al, RAIN from the base of their child's CR (especially the AO's with that nice solid "tray" underneath them) as it is removed from the vehicle.

3) Flirting with all the adorable babies and kids that come to events.

4) Getting seats for families who need them. Knowing the child(ren) are much safer and the parents appreciate the effort/gift.

5) Most of the check I do are by appointment so parents WANT to be there. They are usually very eager to learn.

tiggercat · Jan 24, 2008

starlightCPST said:
Even though I feel about as loved as the parking meter enforcement dude, I get major satisfaction seeing a parent finally get it...

My hubby IS that parking meter dude, well as part of his job in ByLaw endforcement.

I became a CRST mostly because I was so upset that my son had been so unsafe for so long, and because it was practically impossible to get into a carseat clinic in our city. If we'd been in a collision when he was 6m old and FF, I shudder to think of what could have happened. JenE and the other techs on about.com and then delphi were a big reason that I even realized that we were doing anything wrong and educated myself on the issue.

I continue to do clinics and keep up my certification for many reasons. I like the comraderie with other techs, I like learning new things or new tricks of installation. I also like sharing them, and helping train new "good" techs (our course covers a lot of minimums, but doesn't always stress best practice, and I find green techs are very responsive to learning how to educate parents using best practice if they see it done in their first few clinics). I like seeing that kid in the crazy incorrectly installed seat go out safely restrained. I love the challenge and satisfaction of installing seats, or coming up with solutions to difficult siutations. I like feeling like I am making a difference and providing a valuable service, and if even one child is spared injury or death, it's totally worth giving my time to.

CDNTech · Jan 24, 2008

I do it because there is no high like seeing a parent learn how to properly restrain their child and then proceed to go out and share with others their new found knowledge.

I love being able to show a parent the tricks to installing their seat so that *they* can make it look super easy when installing it.

I love seeing the satisfied grin on their faces when they realize just how easy it is to install that seat.

Most of all, I do it because I love kids and I want to keep them safe. It sounds corny, but they are our future.

lynsgirl · Jan 24, 2008

I think what I love the most is knowing that a parent/caregiver is truly going away from me better educated, whether that's IRL or online (does that make sense?). Knowing that a child is going to be safer and that their parent is going to be able to make an educated decision is a great feeling.

Of course, I do love installing seats. A bit sadistic perhaps, but hey? What can I say?

For crying out loud, the kids keep saying "Mom, it would be so cool if we could have twins some day (not so cool, says I, but whatever) and that sends my brain into a twister to figure out exactly HOW I'd configure seats to make it all fit and work decently on an every-day basis

. For a non-existent situation hehehe

.

lynsgirl · Jan 24, 2008

starlightCPST said:
Would this be the "woo hoo! I installed a XXX in a [2 door sports car]" type post? LOL

That is awesome. I do get great enjoyment from a great 3 across situation.

:yeahthat: Yep, me too

wendytthomas · Jan 24, 2008

Last night. I gave my presentation. It was just five people, two of whom were Piper's teachers, but it went perfectly. And it was nice it was small and mostly people I knew for my first time. It was very relaxed. I talked for about 2.5 hours. Both of Piper's teachers need new seats for their kids. One had her 44 pounder in a Dorel either combo or 3 in 1 (she was a bit confused about which kid had what). She about panicked when I told her and she said she was going to go today to buy a seat. Also, today is her baby's first birthday. So I literally go to her just in time. By her reaction to the video last night she'll be RFing him until college.

Her other teacher has a 3 year old outgrowing her Roundabout and was going to move her to a booster. Hearing their reactions when they watched the videos I brought in (lots of gasping) and watching their faces as I showed them the after market products and the mighty tite in particular, it was just completely sinking in.

I had another lady ask me to visit her sister who was occasionally FFing her eight month old because she couldn't get a good installation RFing. I showed her the videos and chatted with her, and when I left the seat she hadn't been able to install was going to be destroyed (it was in a collision some years before), her two boys in backless boosters were going to go back into harnesses, and she knew how to install a RFing convertible seat and was going to buy a new one for her daughter and leave her RFing to the maximum limits.

It's times like that that it is just SO worth it.

And I have to say I'm lucky. Most of the time I tell someone their child should be RFing they leave that way. Course, I don't do a lot of public checks, I do private checks with people who want to meet with me, but even people who ask advice online from everyone are usually greeted with mostly people who have listened to what I've said and jump on board with ERF or EH. People really do listen, and the word is getting out.

Wendy

azgirl71 · Jan 24, 2008

I am so happy that it went well, Wendy

! Now you should be a pro

Thanks again for allowing me to use your slides. I am not using the actual slides, but using them as a guide. It has really helped.

cdncasper · Jan 24, 2008

It totally makes my day being a CRST when:
--my 46lb 4 yr old niece is still in a harnessed seat (mine cause they can't afford a HWH) and will be for at least 6 more months
--when you get to a parent about ERF and she buys an EFTA and is so thankful for all the info.
--when you can teach children what is safest---I know the girls will so tell their parents that it isn't safe for them to be in a booster yet. They know they have to be 4-5 yrs for a booster and tell me that all the time, even when the pink LBB was looking so good to them.

Why I do this job...

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