Summer is officially here, in case you haven't noticed, and it
is starting out as a scorcher. On these very hot days, one of
the favourite activities for kids and parents alike is to head off
to the nearest body of water - a backyard pool, the beach, a
waterpark or splashpad - to try to cool off. Although
we hear it so often we sometimes tune out the message, water safety
is vitally important. Children have to be continuously
monitored, every minute and every second, when they are in or
around water.
Unfortunately, so far this summer, twelve people in Ontario
(mostly kids under 13) have died by drowning. Some were
swimmers, some not, some died in swimming pools and some at the
lakes. When people hear about these tragedies, it resonates
for a while, but then people seem to forget. One of
my neighbours is angry that the city has ordered him to
install a pool fence around his above ground
backyard pool. This attitude baffles me as our
neighbourhood is full of young children, many of whom play with
this neighbour's daughter and are frequently in his yard. Why
would anyone take such a risk?
Another peeve I have concerning summer safety is that I still
see kids riding bikes or skateboards without helmets. Not
usually little ones, but more the pre-teens and teenagers who think
it looks geeky to wear a helmet. I saw one wipe out the
other day going down snake hill near Byron. He was more angry
than hurt, but he slid out onto the road and could have been killed
had there been oncoming traffic. I hope he's learned a
lesson, but sometimes it's hard to convince young people of that
age that they are not invincible. A few years back, my
husband's cousin broke his neck at age 21 and was paralyzed from
the neck down for several weeks before he finally died. This
was a very preventable tragedy, but again the message seems not to
get through all the time. We need to ensure our kids get
that message, and insist they wear a helmet whenever they are
involved in any sport where a head injury is possible.
The last thing I feel is a major danger to our kids - though not
just in summer -- is something over which, for the most part, they
themselves have no involvement or control. The recklessness
and outright road rage I see every day on the streets of London
scares me beyond words, especially as one of my daughters recently
obtained her driver's licence. It's shocking,
really. This isn't Toronto or Montreal, and motorist can get
from one end of the city to the other in a half hour or less.
The red light runners are a true menace, and it's a mystery why the
city doesn't crack down on them through the use of intersection
cameras like other municipalities do. (Remember this as an
issue in the upcoming civic election.) I am especially appalled
when I see someone with the "Baby on Board" sign in their back
window driving like a maniac. Maybe your kid isn't in the car
with you, but someone else's is in theirs.
Summer is meant to be a carefree season when everyone can kick
back and enjoy the fine art of relaxation. For parents,
however, it's not a time to let your guard down. In fact,
it's the time we really have to be more conscientious about what
our kids are doing and make sure that when summer finally draws to
a close, we all get there together.
