Parents should teach kids to wear helmets

I enjoyed Larry Simoneaux’s Thursday column, “Hard-headedness exposes how soft noggins really are.” This may surprise those who follow these editorial pages and know my penchant for spouting off against helmet laws.

Simoneaux eloquently tells us how he implored his son to protect his skull by wearing a helmet while skateboarding. He further provided a community service by sharing his son’s mishap with us. The remarkable thing about Simoneaux’s column is that it is one of the rare entreaties I’ve read on the use of personal protective gear that doesn’t invoke government mandates to accomplish this parental responsibility.

Simoneaux’s story attempts to educate, which is far more ethical in a free society than any attempt to mandate. I found him to be persuasive and a refreshing contrast to liberal government’s attempts to be coercive.

Steve Pomper

Brier