Sunday, January 9, 2011

Beware the Coffee Table!




A clear and present danger for children everywhere.

A post over at Geek Mom (hey, it was linked to from Geek Dad, okay?) talks about the fear many parents feel around such mundane things as coffee tables.
OK, yes. When we were little, my younger brother went to the emergency room because of an altercation with a coffee table. And a survey of my fellow GeekMoms reveals two of them have coffee-table related scars. Another has one from a chair. Another recalls crashing into the media console. I myself had a run-in with a bit of shrubbery. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Parents have a natural desire to not see any harm come to their kids. I've got two daughters and it pains me to see them in any sort of pain. But I also know that injury is inevitable. And, really, the only way to learn how to deal with it is to go through it. It's also an important way of teaching kids what their limits are. In fact, I've often told my kids that if they aren't getting cuts and bruises, they are doing it wrong. That doesn't mean I'm going to let them get into situations where they're going to lose an arm or something, but I'm not going to try to prevent all potential injuries. Of course it's hard, because no parent wants to see their child hurt. It does make them stronger, better people, though, which I think all parents can agree is a worthy goal.

1 comment:

Dork Side Girl said...

I have two teenage boys who have ran into my glass coffee table over and over and I probably more times than them. I think this is why I am finding more kids and teens with no common since. They are sooo overly protective. I am too, but I also know at some point they will have their families and hell if I am fixing their families dinner everyday. Even if it does end up being a cooking fire when I am teaching my 16 year old how to make shrimp scampi. He now knows how to put out a kitchen fire. Doa!