Moms and dads, your lives are about to change. Little Jake or Molly are walking on their own now! These little Magellans will be master adventurers soon enough, but until then, as parents, we do our best sitting on the sidelines and gritting our teeth, fighting every impulse in our body to provide a canopy of safety with outstretched arms with every step they take.
Piece of mind is a million-dollar feeling, but it’s worth every cent when it comes to your little ones, am I right?
Last week I made the decision to buy a helmet for Charlie, my 4-year-old. I don’t want to seem like an enabler for his headbanging ways, but it’s clear that I can’t bubble wrap the northern hemisphere. Charlie is going to run around head-first like the Tasmanian Devil’s excitable older brother anyway so why get in the way of that youthful exuberance?
It’s hard to argue against the collective wisdom of all the mommy groups that have seemingly hacked every single dangerous situation we may be exposing our children too. Helmets are one of those safety accessories that are mommy group approved.
Isn’t it amazing how it seems like your house is a veritable gauntlet of sharp corners when you have a 4-year old? All at eye level I’ll add.
Here’s the thing though, you’re not crazy. According to Johns Hopkins University, head injuries are one of the most common causes of disability and death in children. So I’d say paranoia is justified.
Quite simply, a child helmet works. Last week Charlie and my 6-year old Lucas were playing in our front foyer. It’s a pretty empty, open space. Not a whole lot that the boys could hurt themselves with. But one thing leads to another, they start running around in circles, and Charlie bangs into the closet doorknob headfirst. In any other situation, it would’ve led to a giant raspberry protruding from his forehead.
Thankfully, Mr. Helmet did exactly what he was intended to do, and saved me from boo boo mop up duty.
Here’s the reality that we as parents all can appreciate; kids are impulsive and unpredictable. Dangerous situations can appear in an instant, none of which we as parents could foresee. We can all ache with panic and fear that danger lurks at every turn, or we can allow our little ones the freedom to explore the world unfettered without us being tethered to them. That’s the freedom that a child helmet offers.
So while we may get a few eye rolls from passersby thinking we’re being overprotective with our kids, the piece of mind you get from knowing your child’s head is protected is worth the judgemental looks. After all, you know what’s best for your own child!