Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Monday, June 29, 2009 PREVENTING TRAGEDIES Make summer fun and safe If only we could all experience summertime through the eyes of a child. Ask a kid to describe this season and you could find yourself transported back in time through a wide array of wonderful sensory experiences that would mirror many your fondest memories. While few adults could detect the difference in taste between a Popsicle from mom's freezer and one scored from a roving musical van, any kid could tell you that the one from the van is far superior. That notion and a million other tiny nuances contribute to summer's well earned and highly treasured reputation. By design, summer, like childhood, is supposed to be a carefree time with fewer rules and more opportunities to explore and walk barefoot through life. Yet none of us can escape the sobering fact that unintentional injury remains the No. 1 cause of childhood fatalities nationwide. To help assure that this summer is both memorable and safe, we offer a few simple tips for parents: First, the "do" list: 1. Do buy a proper sports helmet and insist your child wear it when biking, scootering, skate boarding or rollerblading. We all have to band together on this one. If "everyone else's parent" doesn't make their child wear a helmet, it's likely that the one you provide will be ditched in the bushes long before your child reaches the park. 2. Also on the "do" list are a life jacket for non-swimmers and active supervision of all children in and around water, whether they can swim well or not. Now for the "don't" list, suggestions we hope adults will give some consideration before summarily dismissing them as fun killers. 1. Don't let your kids play with fireworks -- supervised or otherwise. Pyrotechnics aren't toys and no one wants to spend the 4th of July in the back of an aid car. 2. Don't provide motorized rides for children unless you're able to also establish a safe and supervised environment to operate them. Neighborhood streets and community sidewalks aren't the proper place for go-carts or mini-motor bikes. 3. To prevent accidental falls, don't allow children to play on balconies or near open windows. Remember, simple mesh screens are designed to keep bugs out, not tiny bodies in. Summer is a time to celebrate childhood. With a little forethought and an appropriate level of supervision, it always has the potential for a wealth of memories to last a lifetime. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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