Jean in Newcastle Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 A local 10 year old boy (I think I got the age right) has died tonight after he convinced his friends to bury him head first in the sand-box (he was copying a cartoon character). My heart aches for his family but I also find myself wondering if it is normal for kids to have no idea that something like would be dangerous, not to mention deadly. Am I naive to think that my kids would have more common sense than that? I watch them to a certain degree but I guess I also have a certain amount of faith in them that they know basic cause-and-effect type scenarios. Please don't take this to mean that I'm somehow "blaming" this boy for his own death. My question has more to do with how closely I need to watch my own kids as a parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 google Darwin Awards. there are plenty of ADULTS that don't have much common sense. Can't necessarily expect more out of a kid..... too bad tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 A local 10 year old boy (I think I got the age right) has died tonight after he convinced his friends to bury him head first in the sand-box (he was copying a cartoon character). My heart aches for his family but I also find myself wondering if it is normal for kids to have no idea that something like would be dangerous, not to mention deadly. Am I naive to think that my kids would have more common sense than that? I watch them to a certain degree but I guess I also have a certain amount of faith in them that they know basic cause-and-effect type scenarios. Please don't take this to mean that I'm somehow "blaming" this boy for his own death. My question has more to do with how closely I need to watch my own kids as a parent. Oh I'm so sorry to hear this boy died. I saw a thing on the news early this morning about him. I thnk kids are really much dumber than we think they should be. I know my own have done some incredibly dangerous things not understanding the consequences. I've been amazed at how well my own kids understand and can spout back the basic laws, but until a certain age (12-13 here) are unable to apply them to everyday situations. What a horrible thing for the boys' family and for his friends and their families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citrusheights5 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I don't think in this case it would be common sense, as much as experience. Dh and I were talking about kids and their inability to entertain them selfs, most have no idea how to "play out side". If you climb , you have a good idea how high you can climb, and how it feels to fall. But if you have only watched it on tv, and you see a tv character fall from the TOP of the tree, and keep running that is now your reality.. Such a sad story.. My heart goes out to the parents... Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I don't think in this case it would be common sense, as much as experience. Dh and I were talking about kids and their inability to entertain them selfs, most have no idea how to "play out side". If you climb , you have a good idea how high you can climb, and how it feels to fall. But if you have only watched it on tv, and you see a tv character fall from the TOP of the tree, and keep running that is now your reality.. Such a sad story.. My heart goes out to the parents... Lee I don't know. I caught mine climbing trees this past Halloween. They're usually at least a little timid about it. They know they're only allowed to climb when I'm out there w them, right beside them. (The tree is surrounded by concrete.) But dd4 & ds7 were up there, about to jump from really high when I caught them & asked them WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING????? They wanted to see if they could fly. We'd just finished reading Peter Pan, & they'd sprinkled chalk dust on themselves (for lack of fairy dust), & they'd jumped from the slide (& ran in for kisses when they got hurt!), & they needed something higher from which to try it. I was inside putting a coat on the baby so we could go up to a local church for a Harvest Festival thing. The windows were open so I could keep an eye on them. A lot can go wrong in an incredibly short amt of time, & that seems esp true w regard to dc's imagination. Oy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 But dd4 & ds7 were up there, about to jump from really high when I caught them & asked them WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING????? They wanted to see if they could fly. ! Well done for having caught that one!! Friederike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I've caught my boys doing some pretty stupid things. I think it's more boys wanting to be dare devils just because. I know my ADD son is more courageous and less cautious than his brothers when he's not focused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 My friend and I were just talking about how clueless kids can be about things we think should be common sense. We were talking about our 12 y.o.'s who are really bright, sensible girls, yet sometimes are just...clueless. So sorry to hear about that boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PariSarah Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 That's why we have them for so very long. I'm not sure what the answer is about how much surveillance they need--I struggle with that all the time. My assumption tends to be that if I haven't actually seen good judgment, in action, on the exact issue in question, he probably doesn't have it. So, if I haven't seen, with my own eyes him think about jumping from a high branch and decide to move to a lower one, I'll assume that he doesn't know he can kill himself by jumping off attic-high branches. It's like Benton said to Carter on that episode where he got frustrated that his med students weren't heroically competent: "Carter, they're med students. They don't know anything. It's your job to teach them." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonia Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Example: My son wanted to see if he could catch the hanging light switch in his teeth while jumping on the little trampoline in our basement. (You can guess where this is going...) The string went up between his front teeth and he was caught hanging there by his teeth with tippytoes on the tramp until he managed to unhook himself. No permanent damage, but he was sore for days. When I asked whyyyyy he would do such a thing, he said he just wanted to know what would happen. He was 10 when he did this. I assumed I did not need to say things like "don't paint the dog" and "don't go inside the dryer", but apparently I do. He is worse now than when he was two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkpan Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I think of common sense to mean a culmination of information and experiences that lead us to draw certain conclusions about life, and therefore to make "sense" of certain scenarios. We just don't always know how much info and/or exp. our dc have in particular situations. With 5 boys, I try not to assume too much. They are constantly surprising me with the zany ideas they can come up with. But that little boy's story is just so heartbreaking. Kim in TN (used to be in NV) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 When my nephew was 8 (the age of my ds now!!!) he broke his arm when he decided, while swinging, to let go of the ropes 'just for a second to see what would happen.' And just yesterday I saw my ds8, rigging up a 25 foot dog teether from the top of his play house (8 feet off the ground) to the top of the 6 foot privacy fence. I could tell he was going to slide down it...and I thought, 'what harm could there be in allowing this.' But I kept watching. And then saw him tie a jumprope to both his wrists which I guess he was going to put over the teether and slide down that way. I stopped him. I think it might have broken his wrists if he had tried that! Anyway, kids have poor judgement. No doubt about it. I don't know how much to watch him. He and the neighbor boy go off in the back pasture and I can't see them, so who knows what mischief they are capable of getting into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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