Until they can fend for themselves, our darling babes need parental protection from the many potential hazards in their world:

Household chemicals. Harmful foods. Power tools. Poor wardrobe choices.

A trend toward overprotective parenting has given rise to a cottage industry of childproofing gadgets, and now, consultants – some of whom feel no shame at charging $300 and up for a home visit, as this New York Times article recently reported.

Now, I installed my fair share of outlet plugs and cabinet locks when my girls were younger, but had to draw the line at anti-bacterial placemats and shopping cart covers. There’s safety, and then there’s overkill.

Besides, babies seemed to do just fine before the invention of the toilet lid lock. Amazing, but true.

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Living Dangerously

No kid-safe doors, no childproof locks,
No choke-free toys or rounded blocks;
No outlet plugs, no safety seats,
No hormone-free milk or meats.

No anti-microbe soaps and sprays,
No wipes to swipe the germs away;
No safety cribs, no child restraints,
No homes aglow in lead-free paints.

No smoke-free restaurants or flights,
No fat-free, sugar-free delights;
No kneepads with our tricycles,
No helmets with our bicycles.

No sunscreen on those summer days,
No SPF to block the rays;
No V-chip guarding our TVs,
No censors guiding what we’d see.

Seems we grew up just tempting fate,
With perils lying close in wait;
Thank goodness there’s such caution now!
Though we survived……I wonder how?

©2009 Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz