Stupid Situation #7: Teaching Your Child to Run...at the Street

One of my neighbors, the proud owners of a newborn that they just magically had during the month they wanted to and have never had loss etc. - that kind of neighbor, has just put up a new sign. It's fluorescent yellow, shaped like a gingerbread man and says "Attention: Children at Play". This isn't for a school, or a park. It's for their yard.

First of all, I'd like to point out that unless their 3 month old has developed the ability to walk, it should say CHILD at play. But that's just being petty, so I'll move on to point two.

Second, they chose not to anchor it and to put it on a hill, so every two to three days, it falls over and they leave it down for a couple of days before righting it again. After two weeks of this, they finally put a rock on it.

Third, it's an eyesore since it's right out my window.

But let's talk about the most important piece. Their child who is running around is not vision or hearing impaired. She's a willful three year old that they have taught to run at the road. All summer and fall last year, while I grieved the loss of my stillborn son, I watched them put her down, and she would run at the road to see the little boy on the other side. Her father would run after her, pick her up and with a silly little laugh, put her down again.

He taught her that running at the road is a game, and now they put up a sign because of their crappy parenting skills.

I'm not professing that I will be the perfect parent, but where I refuse to fail, is in teaching my child self-preservation skills. They worked so hard (not really) to have this child, and now they are teaching her the daredevil traits, the ones that will make this child live for adventure...dangerous adventure.

So let me tell the parents out there - if you love your child, and you want to keep your child, step up the training of teaching your child that cars and streets are dangerous. It's one of the first lessons in danger that a child should receive. Make sure they get an "A", for I sit here watching your child and wanting one more than life itself, as you teach your child to be reckless. Because I keep wondering if someday soon these parents are going to finally understand my pain...the pain of losing a child.