When it comes to the well-being of our children, we are willing to exert a tremendous deal of effort as parents in order to guarantee that our child will never be placed in an unsafe situation by accideant. Whether it’s a matter of putting your kid on a leash, teaching them how to properly wait by the car, or some other parenting technique, the experience of others is the best method for us to protect our children.
It has never been simpler for parents to provide warnings to one another than it is today. You can literally save the life of a child by simply sharing an article on social media that you found. All it takes is the click of a mouse.
That’s what “Growing Humans” vlogger Christine Miller hopes her recent post about car seat safety will accomplish.
“Today marks the anniversary of the day that marked the last time I saw this gorgeous smile, kissed his darling face, or felt his little arms wrap around my neck. It was exactly 12 years ago.” I had no idea that the morning I spent with him would be the final time that I heard his gorgeous giggle and sweet voice call me mommy and watch his eyes filled up with life and wonder.
Christine recalls the morning in 2005 when she lost her son Kyle in a car accident. He was three years old at the time.
“There is not a single day that goes by that does not cause my heart to ache from missing him and wondering what he would be like right now. The experience of losing Kyle was indescribably painful and agonizing; it was like being hurled headfirst into the pits of hell. If others could see the wounds on my heart, it would make them gasp every time they saw me.
The mother from Colorado has described the suffering she goes through on a daily basis as being comparable to a box of fire inside her heart. She will have to suffer from this discomfort for the rest of her life.
“I think the most difficult aspect of it all is knowing that it might have been easily avoided. That is the spear that drives a stake through the center of my chest. If I had merely known about the hazards of booster seats for toddlers, or if somebody had told me, I would have put him in a car seat with a five-point harness…and just one simple change would have made everything different.”
Christine claims that she has a firm belief that Kyle would still be alive today if he had been restrained in a five-point harness carseat rather than a booster seat. She claims that it was the error for which she has been forced to atone for the past 12 excruciating years, ever since the death of her son.
“I would be able to embrace him and tell him that I love him while also being able to watch him mature into a man. However, I was unable to retrieve any of that because of a single oversight.
Because of what happened to Kyle, and how easy her undiscovered error may literally save another child’s life, Christine has made it the mission of her life to ensure that no one else ever has to go through the trauma that she went through when she lost Kyle.
“Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children, yet studies reveal that between 80 and 90 percent of child safety seats are installed or used incorrectly! Reread what you just read and give it some time to sink in. Our children are not being protected from the one risk that poses the greatest potential danger to their lives. It’s completely insane.
She goes on to say that
“Why aren’t we having a conversation about this?! Why aren’t there any campaigns to raise awareness? In spite of the fact that we take precautions to shield our children from potential dangers such as cancer, pesticides, GMOs, and sharp corners of furniture, we nevertheless buckle them into hazardous car seats. This is something that needs to change.
Christine makes a good point; it seems like all the mothers in the neighborhood are chatting about the gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free foods in their cabinet. They are able to examine the list of components on a product’s label and determine whether or not their child will be able to consume it. However, if the same mothers were to look at a car seat fitted in their own vehicle, or any vehicle for that matter, and try to determine whether or not it is installed properly, how successful would they be?
Your child may perceive this fruit roll-up as being “hazardous.” But what about the one thing that has the potential to save their life in the event that the large piece of metal traveling at 75 miles per hour encounters an accident?
Christine concludes her post with an impassioned plea to anyone who has or knows a young child:
“Do some research on the correct way to use a car seat, and have a conversation about it with everyone you know. Because some of my friends and family members took offense when I pointed out how they were improperly using their car seats, I’ve lost some of them. To remain silent, however, and carry the responsibility of another child’s passing on my conscience is not a gamble I am ready to take. Therefore, it is imperative that you raise your voice if you notice a child in a potentially hazardous scenario. You could save a life. The well-being of children takes precedence above the pride of their parents.
She claims that Kyle might still be alive today if someone had confronted her about the situation more than a decade ago.
The safety of a car seat is not a ‘parenting choice,’ but rather a function of the laws of physics and the facts.
As parents, we are responsible for the lives of our children. It is our duty to protect them from anything that could endanger their health or life in any way, and we should use every resource at our disposal to achieve this goal.
Do some research on the internet right now and educate yourself about the different methods you can keep your kids safe from the most common cause of death for youngsters.