Aargh!!! PRESCHOOL (Warning: passive aggressive vent)

So, I'm picking Leila up from school, see & I chat up all nice with a dad: turns out he's Leila's best friend's dad.

Turns out he's puting that sweet girl in the front seat in a booster with bulky snow suit without engaging the ALR.

He makes a bit of goodbye-chat so I speak up ... "Hey, I'm a CPST. Did you know the front seat has about 40% higher risk of fatal injury than the back?" (As I'm looking in the window to see that it's completely empty)

"Yeah, I did know that, ya know." & he starts to get in to drive.

confused: *I walk away smiling since he obviously is not open to education*)

He calls out, "besides, if this car ever crashes we won't be in it hahahahahahaha"

I reply very confusedly, "crashes are the leading cause of death for kids"

"Yep, knew that, too!"

WTH?!

Happy Holidays to you, too, buddy. Hope your DD is alive for it. Hope you get your head out of your butt.

Reminds me of the day I saw a little dog in a car, windows all the way up on a 90+ day here in Austin. (You don't see it too often, not like WA or OR). I went in the store to find the owner and he was milling around doing basically nothing. I asked whether it was his car, etc. and pointed out (can't remember my exact words) the peril the dog was in. He smiled and said 'Is she dead yet?'. Totally threw me, I left (should have called 911 but didn't know at the time I 'could') really shaken at his attitude. Later it haunted me...was he TRYING to kill her or just an idiot. He did get in the car and leave though.
C.

Man, social skills are so important, aren't they? Why in the world do people feel so threatened by HELP -- perhaps because they're angry at themselves *SIGH*

This is bumming me out....

I was thinking recently how so many parents profess to "love" their children, but not only do they not protect them in the car, they let them ride on bikes w/no helmet, they don't put PFD's on when they are on boats, or the worst one (I think) they smoke around their kids and wonder why they always get bronchitis and pneumonia !!! You just can't talk sense into some people!

I am guilty of not putting a PFD on my child on the boat. The law is anything over 28' feet you must have one on deck for each child but not on them. I do keep one within arm's reach for the most part. But, honestly, my dad's boat is big enough that it's not gonna go down too fast for me to get the life jacket on my kid. I realize that this is a very small risk, yes. However a) at his size I cannot find one to comfortably fit him. It'll keep him afloat, yes, but it won't be comfortable and b) he has enough sensory issues as it is, a life jacket might throw him over the edge.
But really, the risk is almost nil in that scenario.

Unlike my boss' wife, who thinks that seatbelts and car seats CAUSE car accidents, and that her children are in FAR more danger by drinking *shudder* PASTEURIZED MILK than riding in the car (she feeds the raw milk from the pet supply store. Everything in her fridge reads "not for human consumption.")

(for your boss)

Sensory issues can be so difficult -- but, I just don't imagine you being such an @$$ if someone simply said "Hey, do you have a life jacket?"....

PFD's are a tricky thing for my DD, also. They have cool (but expensive) ones for adults that basicaly look like a thin vest that auto-inflate in the water- why thay don't make them for little ones is beyond me, but I guess there must be a good reason for that. Sorry if my comment upset you...but I saw some kids on a 18' sailboat who were my daughter's age (3) and they didn't have one- and I just couldn't take that risk with a non-swimmer.

Oh no, it didn't upset me at all!
And really, it's RIGHT THERE if we need it. Normally I'm sitting on it! And I can get it on him in a minute if need be. If he were not in my lap then I would require him to wear it (he DOES have to wear it when he wants to stand up on deck). It's just a risk that I guage and choose to take because the likelihood of us getting hit by another boat is extremely small, and the likelihood then of our boat going down so fast that I cannot get the jacket on him is even smaller. I realize that it's a risk, yes, but I think the risk ratio is so incredibly small that it's a risk I'm willing to take. However I would NEVER let a standing/walking child on deck without one on (and a jackline as well, I always wore my jackline as a kid, even though I hated it) and I would never NOT have one immediately available for him. And no, I would never be an ass to someone who asked if I had one
Really, if one FIT him better, I would have him wear it at all times. He's just too round right now. Finding one in the first place that just almost fit him was a nightmare. By summer he should be able to fit into them better. He'll also be more mobile and then I will likely require it.

Speaking of PFD's---

My mom had a dream when she was pg with me or when I was really young, that I fell off a boat. So I ALWAYS had to wear a life jacket. Most of the time---the big orange puffy ones. I was on the boat almost every weekend when I was little. My mom was working full time and she was working on her RN--So I was daddy's girl on the weekends.

Well I was about 7 and I was out with the family crabbing---we were going really slow because we were running the trot line. I was walking up or down the sideboards to get on top of the cabin. My uncle had installed rails just for this purpose. Well I lost my footing and my grip---in the water I went. I had my life jacket(a red ski vest type at the time) on. My mom said--That's a big fish that jumped---My dad's reply--Nope--It was Susan, as he was pulling me by the shoulders up.

I was also a swimmer too--I had the red cross swim classes because of my mom's dream.

I loved that Life Jacket!

Susan

You all are right about the PFDs for little ones.
My parents have PFDs for my nieces on board their boat. They bought the "top-of-the-line" infant PFDs that are supposed to fit children up to 30 pounds. My one niece HATES the jacket. It barely fit her this summer when she weighed about 12-13 pounds. It was not comfy for her at all!