Dangerous fun for children too young to know it.

The other day I read a news item in the staronline in which a one-year-old baby’s playtime ‘turned tragic after he slipped from his father’s arms and fell to his death from the sixth-floor of a high-rise apartment in Pulau Tikus’ Georgetown.

The intention of the father was good as he wanted his little son to view the area below from their apartment’s balcony. Perhaps, he believed that such an experience could remove any fear of height from his son and that could be beneficial to his future. He was not to know that his son’s future was to end there and then. He dinot realize the danger he was putting his son’s life into. By the time he understands that danger, it was too late and forever will the memory of that tragic moment remain in his mind.

Such careless and dangerous thoughtless acts with a child can be seen almost everyday in so many various forms.

We have a parent leaving a child on a bicycle carrier as he/she pops quickly into a sundry shop to grab an item. While he/she is away, all it takes is some movement from the child to destabilise the bicycle to bring child and bicycle crashing to the ground. It is not important what could have caused the child to move. It could be some kind of distraction, an animal knocking into the bicycle, a strong wind or some careless movement of another human. A fall from a bicycle is not just a trauma; it can cause broken bones, brain damage and even cerebral palsy if a clot due to the fall prevents oxygen from reaching a part of the brain for even a short period of time.

There are parents who think it such great pleasure to take a child for a ride on their motorcycles. Let us face it. Any kind of mishap can take place. In such accidents, falls are expected. What is going to happen to that small frail child on the motorcycle? Of course, anyone can see that the danger is as much, if not more than the fall from a bicycle.

I have seen parents throw their babies up above their heads with the hands holding to the waist. Of course, like the baby who fell from the balcony of his apartment, there is no danger as long as the hands do not slip and as long as there is no fall. As we all know, such slips and fall are not intentional. They are not supposed to happen but once in a long while, we have read of them. So, why not play safe, especially when such actions are not really necessary.

It is delightful tosee our precious children have such great fun running all over the place, even on our roads, especially those in housing estates and rural areas. Yet, as adults we understand that roads are meant for traffic. The drivers never want sometime horrible to happen to children but accidents do happen. The important thing is that such accidents can be prevented. So, let us do our part. Let us be more careful with our precious ones.

Oh, yes! Was it yesterday I heard the news of a child who hurt his finger when he playfully put his hand in the way of an electric saw? Well, here is another case where adults got careless and allowed what should not be, happen.

Certainly, each festive season, we have read of the mischievious youngsters who are allowed to play with fireworks and fired away one or more of their fingers as well as other parts of their bodies. Parents have to be vigilant and constantly remind the children the dangers of such things.

As I have always said, the world is our AVA (Audio-Visual Aids). Use it everyday to teach our children the dangers and experiences of others. Show the children what can possibly happen using the television, newspapers, magazines and everyday happenings to stress to them the consequences.

In today’s posting, it looks like some adults too need to pay more attention to the AVA in our world to realise the danger of their play with their children.