The number one cause of death to children in the U.S. is preventable injuries.
By Martha Wilcox
I was an LA Mom, too. My son was born in Santa Monica hospital, raised in Culver City and went to preschool in Beverly Hills at a progressive program that tried to teach him to play nicely (which he did from time to time), and tried to teach me insights to help me overcome the worries that go with the job of raising a child.
And I was a worrier, though I would have defined myself as a “dedicated questioner and researcher.” Let’s just say I took the job of parenting to heart; I was probably only slightly nutty about it.
Today, I have the joy of seeing my young son grown into a delightful man who is engaged and talking about having kids of his own. With the passage of time, and the benefit of my current job as a parent safety educator, I have some new insights about what is worth worrying about, or rather, what is worth doing something about.
I now work for Safe Kids Worldwide, an organization that helps parents learn how to protect kids from preventable injuries. What I didn’t know, as a young mom, is that the biggest threat to my son – the number one cause of death to children in the U.S. – is preventable injuries: things like car crashes, fires, falls, poisoning and drowning. And here’s the thing about preventable injuries: they are, well, preventable.
Moms who identify as “dedicated questioners and researchers” today have the benefit of helpful online resources to get the information needed to protect kids from these sorts of injuries. You can go to http://www.SafeKids.org to get tips for kids of all ages. Or access info through our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest channels. Whatever works best for you, I encourage you to tap these resources to protect your kids.
You’ll learn the little things you can do so your kids can grow up to do big things. Like worry about their own kids.
Join us for Safe Kids Day, April 24, at Smashbox Studios in Culver City. Bring your family for an afternoon filled with fun.
Martha Wilcox is a child safety educator at Safe Kids Worldwide.