What Babies Would Say about Infant Safety

Fuechi wrote our first entry on chapter 12. He's pictured
here, as a child, engaging in some rough-and-tumble play
with his siblings in their backyard.

            In the 12^th chapter of Mary Gordon’s book, Roots of Empathy, she stresses the importance of child safety. Gordon expresses how parents have a responsibility to protect their child from harm. After all, it was the parents’ decision to have a baby. She gives some examples of what should be done to increase the safety of a child in order for him to live a more harm free lifestyle. There are many examples of how parents should deal with certain situations regarding their child’s safety, and I agreed on some but disagreed on others.

            The first example is crying. Gordon states, “Parents who believe that a crying baby is being bad, is trying to manipulate them, or is a wimp are likely to become angry at the baby who cries persistently, and sometimes that anger results in violence against the baby, such as shaking, throwing, or hitting” (p.184).  I would have to agree with Gordon on this statement. I do not have children at this time but am surrounded with my nieces and nephew. Every morning when my sister and brother-in-law wake up to go to work, I hear my nephew crying because he wants to go downstairs to watch television. He has conditioned himself and his father that every morning when he cries, he must watch television in order to stop his behavior. Over the past few weeks, I observed that he has learned how easily he is able to get what he wants by crying. Furthermore, I have never seen my brother-in-law shake my nephew, nor my niece, but once their tears start rolling they seem to get what they want.

            The next example Gordon provides is to protect children from dangers when they have developed better motor movement skills. “Depending on the age level of students, these lessons in infant safety are further anchored through group work on babyproofing,  or through artwork that allows students to express what is dangerous for a baby”(p.189). It may be one thing to try and keep your child away from danger but it can almost be impossible to watch your child’s every movement throughout the day. Therefore, I would have to disagree with Gordon. I believe children should be allowed to roam around and learn things on their own. Yes, parents can childproof electrical outlets, but childproofing everything in the house makes it no fun for a child to experience what he or she is capable of doing. For instance, my aunt held my cousin for the first year of his life and seldom lets him crawl around and play with things. He ended up not walking until almost two years of age. Now he runs around wild, yet, she still chases after him because she worries he might injure himself. The way I see it, children need to have scars and scratches because it will remind them of what they can or cannot do.

            Gordon also discusses the serious harms unhealthy habits like using alcohol or drugs during pregnancy can cause to an unborn baby. A common condition known as, “FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) is the leading known cause of entirely preventable birth defects and developmental delays in the developed world.” (p.190) I would have to strongly agree with Gordon on this. Mothers should be aware of the dangers alcohol or other drugs present to their child. If alcohol is more important than the baby, the mother should have been more aware of the consequences before having unprotected sex. I think there needs to be huge warning signs advertised over beer fridges reminding adults that if they drink while pregnant, it may increase the likelihood of disabilities in their child. Furthermore, their spouse or partner should take initiative and do whatever it takes to prevent the mother from drinking or smoking. Also, it would be helpful if clerks refused to sell alcoholic beverages or cigarettes to any woman that is pregnant would make me feel better.

            Overall, I believe Gordon hits some great points about child safety. Although I may have agreed or disagreed on some parts, I still believe a child’s safety depends solely on the parents or guardian. And don’t forget, safety first, everyone!