Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor

Having children is a really big responsibility.

From the day a child is brought home from hospital it's a parent's job to love, nourish and protect his or her baby. For mothers, the responsibility starts even sooner. For nine months every bite a woman takes and every decision she makes impacts the baby growing inside her womb.

I think it's safe to say that parents are extra cautious with a newborn - staying home more than usual for the first couple of months and politely asking people to wash their hands before handling the baby are two things our family has done to keep the new addition happy and healthy. But as a child grows bigger and stronger, it's easy to get relaxed and forget our role as protectors.

Children are curious and, as they get older, mischievous by nature. The world, after all, is a fascinating place when you're only a couple feet tall. But it can also be a dangerous place.

Within the past two months, two children under 4 years old have drowned in Clallam County. A 31/2-year-old little boy was found dead in a pond less than 40 yards from his Joyce home March 2 and a 22-month-old boy was found floating in Lake Creek during a family gathering in Beaver April 11.

A little farther from home, a 4-year-old Renton boy died earlier this month after being shot in the head and killed by his older brother, 10, who found a loaded handgun, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The shooting happened at the boys' grandparents' home, where the family was visiting.

In Dallas, Texas, also earlier this month, a tow truck driver unknowingly hauled away a car with a 7-year-old boy asleep inside the vehicle. The car was parked in a fire lane while the boy's mother ran upstairs to her apartment, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stated.

Yes, accidents happen, and yes, children get hurt. But as parents, monitoring our children and protecting them from danger is our most important job - way more important than cleaning the house, running errands, working at the office or visiting with friends.

Children and adolescents are at high risk for injuries that can lead to death or disability. The following types of injuries pose the greatest threat to American youths, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Riding in the car. Motor vehicle injuries are the greatest public health problem for children today and the leading cause of death among children in the U.S.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises putting infants in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 1 year old and weigh 20 pounds - not one or the other. Toddlers and preschoolers should ride in a forward-facing seat with a harness until they are 4 years old or 40 pounds.

Children who have outgrown forward-facing safety seats are required by law to use booster seats and should continue to do so until the child is at least 4-feet 9-inches tall and between the ages of 8-12.

Remember: Never leave a child unattended in the car. Not only is it unsafe, it's illegal in several states.

Playing around water. Drowning is the second leading cause of injury among children 14 years and younger. For every child who drowns, three receive emergency care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

Keep a close eye on children around water and make them wear a life vest.

Poison. Children, especially those under the age of 6, are more likely to have unintentional poisoning than older children and adults.

Keep chemicals and household cleaners out of reach and medicines locked up. Put "Mr. Yuk" stickers on poisonous substances and teach children to avoid products with the green, puckered face on the container.

Concussion. An estimated 400,000 children between the ages of 0-14 visit the emergency room every year for traumatic brain injuries. The leading causes of such injuries include falls and motor vehicle collisions.

Require children to wear helmets when riding bicycles, horses and all-terrain vehicles such as four-wheelers. If a child suffers a head injury, seek professional attention. It's better safe than sorry.

Driving from point A to point B. Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are motor vehicle related.

Set a good example for young drivers. That means no talking on the cell phone, text-messaging or fiddling with the stereo while driving.

Guns. It's estimated that guns are in half of all U.S. homes. Between 1994-1998, 6,287 children committed suicide with a firearm and an additional 1,896 children were killed unintentionally with guns. All together, 23,776 children under the age of 19 died from gun-related injuries during the four-year period.

Store guns in a locked safe and use the safety trigger lock. Educate children not to handle guns without adult supervision even if you don't have a firearm in the house. And remember to store ammunition in a locked safe as well. If placed into a microwave or oven by a curious child, bullets can be just as dangerous as guns.

Keeping children out of danger can be tiring. Parents might feel like they can't turn their backs for even a split second without their 3-year-old shoving a fork into the light socket or their teenager trying to sneak out of the house at 2 a.m., but keeping a close eye on offspring is well-worth the effort.

Not only are children the future, for most of us, they are our entire lives.



Ashley Oden is a part-time reporter for the Sequim

Gazette.