by "davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
Published 11/14/2017 at 12:02
by "davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
Published 11/14/2017 at 12:02
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STARS: 2
Brutally sad story about the girl in the dragster... Interested to hear opinions from other parents here concerning activities that can be dangerous for our kids. I’m thinking riding dirt bikes, skiing, karting, etc... Clearly swimming without close supervision and riding a bike can also be very dangerous and even deadly, but higher speeds do add an additional risk. My little guy banged himself up at the roller rink the other day - we don’t think it’s broken, but he’s got his arm in a splint for a few day (and he wasn’t even skating!). I want my kids to try new things, and I don’t want them to be scared of hurting themselves, but in my opinion, it’s a parent’s responsibility to fear and think for their kids and make appropriate decisions for them when they are younger. I mean, my 4 year old probably would jump off our roof if I let him!
We’re thinking about getting an off-road go-kart soon for our kids (older two are 11 & 9), but it will come with a roll-cage and helmets and much instruction on safe use and hard limits on what they are and aren’t allowed to do with it.
While we’re here, and on a lighter note, any suggestions on quality off-road go-karts? =)
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
"Wacko" (wacko--)
11/14/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0
https://ace.polaris.com/en-us/ace-150-efi/?_ga=2.49230242.583430607.1510679153-1607153366.1510679153
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
11/14/2017 at 12:11, STARS: 3
I would be far too cautious to allow my kid to do this. People bring up the fact that these accidents are rare. Fair enough, but that’s not the point for me. The point is, when a worst case scenario happens, how likely is it to be fatal or cause major injury/disability. That factors into my decision as much as anything.
"Azrek" (azrek)
11/14/2017 at 12:11, STARS: 1
*I don’t have kids Disclamer*
I generally believe that kids need to have a healthy respect for fear and danger in all respects. Sometimes even something slightly dangerous that scares you is useful for learning. Sit on a skateboard and go down a hill. It is terrifying...or amazing?
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
11/14/2017 at 12:11, STARS: 1
I can guess where she hit the barrier: https://www.google.com/maps/place/32°13'09.2"S+115°47'17.3"E
It’s the end of a concrete barrier only a few degrees off the dragster’s direction of travel. That is an unconscionable design flaw, reminiscent of the death at Walt Disney World Speedway
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/please-stop-killing-my-friends-1697610915
"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
11/14/2017 at 12:16, STARS: 1
I had my first gokart at 8, but it only had a 5hp B&S engine. About the worst thing that would happen to me was a shock, as the “kill switch” was a a string attached to the plug wire. Man, I loved that thing.
Now that my son is nearing 8, I’ve debated a small dirt bike. I couldn’t imagine him at speeds of drag racing though. That’s crazy. I’m sure some people would think it’s crazy that he’s an ice hockey goalie, though, too.
"Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras" (jegoingout)
11/14/2017 at 12:18, STARS: 0
I first saw these drag cars awhile back and said “you have to hate your kid to let them do that..”
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
11/14/2017 at 12:23, STARS: 2
Had a post but I’ll just put this up instead:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445337/
Your kid shouldn’t be in a bubble, but there are some risks they just can’t understand and it’s on you to screen stuff out.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
11/14/2017 at 12:25, STARS: 1
I’ve got 3 boys, all under 5, so time is coming for decisions like these parents made regarding what activities to let the kids do. Honestly though, my life growing up was a game of inches and seconds, one litttle deviation here or there, and I’m not here, or at least not in my present state. And after watching 3 boys “play” it’s evident that we as parents cannot protect them from every little danger. Even in our homes. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to limit exposures, but we also have to let them fall and bang themselves up a bit. It teaches them to do better next time, or to avoid something. If my boys came to me and wanted to drag race, I’d probably let them, within reason and with proper precautions and training as a prerequisite. The biggest thing in the wake of this tragedy is to learn from it and hopefully revamp the facility or the vehicle to avoid this from happening to another child. Inches and seconds, that’s all it takes to change lives.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
11/14/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 1
Man that broke my heart.
Skiing has taught me a lot about risk. It boils down to a formula I created to help me map my go/no go approach.
Reward / (Probability x Consequences) Risk Tolerance.
There is the probability of something going wrong, the consequences if it does and the reward for it going right. If the reward sum isn’t greater than a conscious understanding of risk tolerance than its a no go.
The trouble with that story is that at 8 you barely have a concept of what life is let alone the appropriate respect for injury or loss of said life. I guess what I am getting at here is the part of the equation missing here is risk tolerance. An 8 year old doesn’t have enough data to create a realistic and accurate risk assessment. For them its all reward because consequences and probability are just concepts at this level.
As for my kids I struggle personally. I want them to experience neat things, but im a touch overly cautious of them doing so. I FREAK OUT anytime they are near cliffs which is an issue because thats a lot for me.
At the same time I want to take them Biking and Skiing and on cool trips . Its going to suck for me in the next few years as my oldest gets to the point of being more of an independent risk taker.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
11/14/2017 at 12:33, STARS: 1
The most dangerous thing a kid can do is ride in a car.
https://www.cdc.gov/safechild/child_injury_data.html
"XJDano" (xjdano)
11/14/2017 at 12:45, STARS: 1
My wife asks the kids if they want to do the Jr. drags when the NHRA comes to town.
We also went to the C&C event at Gateway Motorsports park where they had Jr. drags going on also.
It’s neat but it’s also expensive as there were rigs and trailers, along with the cars and parts.
My daughter says she didn’t want to do it anyway. My son just turning 5 still grabs gravel and scoots it around making car noises. (Attention span 0)
We introduced them to BB guns and They didn’t want to shoot at first. But the exploding beer cans were too dramatic to deny. They needed help aiming as a red Ryder is still a handful
If I had the means to introduce them to karting or Jr. drags I would. I would get them into it gradually with power wheels and such first.
"KevlarRx7" (kevlarsupra)
11/14/2017 at 12:53, STARS: 1
As a car lover, or anything with a engine for that matter. It pains me to say No, no they shouldn’t be on a drag strip.
But yes they should be messing around in sub 30 mph dirt tracks on bikes quads buggys ect.....
Would the parents that participate in mentioned sport allow there kids to drive to school? Of course they wouldn’t, because other drivers might not be as considerate, but that’s what makes adults able to do these dangerous things, the ability to think ‘this is dangerous, I might get injured, so this is how I’m going to avoid it.
In my opinion as a parent you’ve got to think ‘does my child understand how dangerous this can be? And how can I make it safer?’
Other than that let them have fun, and you enjoy watching them knowing you’ve done all you can. I personally would look into retrofitting kill switches like you see on grass track bikes.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F360438512228
I know they can be lifesaver’s.
(Disclaimer; I write as thoughts come into my head and sometimes think two words in advance (hence why it looks quite sporadic) and I do not have any children of my own)
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/14/2017 at 13:02, STARS: 1
My kids are 3 and 5, and just recently my son broke his arm. He plays hard, running around in the woods, jumping off everything, he is learning to ride a bike, and he skis with us in the winter, more and more independently all the time.
Guess how he broke his arm? He fell out of a standard dining chair onto a rug. We didn’t even see it happen, but he wasn’t standing on the chair, just sitting. You never know...
We are active skiers, waterski/wakeboarders, and mountain bikers, and we hope our kids will join us in those activities. These are all risky in their own ways, and we hope to raise our kids in a way that they will learn the risks and make appropriate decisions. They will undoubtedly make mistakes, get hurt, and get in trouble. But we are doing our best to hint at times when they should reconsider the risk of what they are doing, rather than coming down on them with “don’t do that!” Hopefully this builds a thought process of, ‘hmm, is this dangerous?’ rather than ‘ooh look Dad’s not here I can try this now!’
My 3 year old is already trying to do everything the 5 year old does, and that’s probably as scary as anything. I can feel my hair turning gray, watching her chase him around.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
11/14/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 1
For me it comes down to whether the risk factor outweighs the reward. I take my kids on trails that claim lives every year. There are unmanageable risks with hiking in the desert, but I feel the reward of being connected with your natural environment outweighs them. I’ve never felt the same way about motorsports, but my four year-old loves working and riding on my motorcycle. I’m struggling with whether it is worth it to get her a small bike to learn to ride on.
I hope those parents can eventually find some peace.
"horizonsofkhaos" (horizonsofkhaos)
11/14/2017 at 13:09, STARS: 1
It’s truly heartbreaking to see a life claimed at such a young age but much like motorsports, life is inherently dangerous. There’s so many seemingly innocuous things that kids do on a daily basis that put themselves into serious danger. That jr. dragster was probably more safe of an activity than myself riding the bus to school every morning in my younger years. I just hope whatever the cause of her accident can be resolved so it doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future.
"E92M3" (E46M3)
11/14/2017 at 13:52, STARS: 1
Please make sure it has a seatbelt.
When I was a kid my dad bought an offroad kart for me from a neighbor. I didn’t take me long to take it out on the street, and see how fast it would go downhill. I tried to take a 90 degree turn at the end of the street onto another street at 35-40 MPH. Thing went up on 2 wheels, and nearly rolled over. I almost flew out just from it pitching. It had a roll hoop, but it wouldn’t of done any good because there was no seat belt. Had it rolled I could of hit the curb or street head first with no helmet. I was extremely lucky.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:40, STARS: 0
Thanks for the advice - will do (also, they won’t be allowed on the street).
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:42, STARS: 0
Great advice - thanks.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:43, STARS: 1
Good stuff here!
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 1
A sadly true fact for all of us that love to drive, and love to share the love of cars with our kids.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:47, STARS: 0
Those trips are such an incredible gift you’re giving your kids...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:52, STARS: 0
Too simplistic. Just like families who take their kids skiing, I’m sure the thought is that the odds are small that anything will happen, and when it does, it’s not going to happen to us...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 1
So sad, and if true, preventable...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 14:54, STARS: 0
I’ve definitely considered one of these: https://rzr.polaris.com/en-us/rzr-170/
"Wacko" (wacko--)
11/14/2017 at 15:04, STARS: 1
i would of killed to have something cool like that as a kid,
We had BigReds and went everywhere with those.(child of the 80s)
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 15:06, STARS: 0
You’re lucky to be alive! =)
"Wacko" (wacko--)
11/14/2017 at 15:15, STARS: 0
we rode bikes without helmets, and we rode in cars with no air bags too.....
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/14/2017 at 15:23, STARS: 0
No air bags? Try no seat belts (in the back of a cheap old conversion van)! =)
"Wacko" (wacko--)
11/14/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 1
seat belts were more of a suggestion than a law.....
and sitting on you mothers lap in the front seat was the equivalent to a baby seat.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/14/2017 at 21:27, STARS: 0
Scary to think of myself as giving advice to other parents! For the record, I can’t see letting an 8 year old run a drag race like that. Nope.
But I do try and apply the same logic to all negative behaviors. Rather than constantly saying things like, “don’t stab your sister with your fork” I’ll say, “can you please only use your fork to eat your food?” or just “should you be doing that?” It’s incredibly hard not to say the words don’t/no/stop but it can really re-frame how you (and hopefully the kids) look at an undesirable behavior. I feel like it lets them make the decision without being told explicitly what to do, although they can easily tell which way I want them to answer.
If I read about this somewhere, I forget. So I could be way off. I do think it’s effective with my kids so far. Ask me in 20 years, maybe.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
11/15/2017 at 05:16, STARS: 0
yes that is sad. but how many already have licenses? quite a lot tbh
just plain bad luck. she probably freaked out at the finish line and didn’t use the brakes hard enough.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/15/2017 at 08:52, STARS: 0
Your hypothesis of what happened really isn’t bad luck. To me, it’s a child in a situation that they’re not yet mature enough to handle, with far too much inherent risk...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
11/15/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 1
My daughter is 8.... nope nope nope...
When it comes to safety stuff, it’s definitely better for them to be warned to consider what they’re doing instead of just telling them not to.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/15/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 0
I used to drive a golf cart at a summer camp, and there was one hill that you could really get a good slide going, down and to the right. One day I took it a little too fast and got tossed out of the cart. I managed to hang on to the steering wheel (?) and escaped without major injury, somehow. It’s a miracle I didn’t get mangled. So yeah...