Tag Archives: conversation

General Safety Issues

HAVING TEENAGERS IN YOUR HOUSE, AND HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE (GUEST POST)

                Parents around the world who are fortunate enough to raise children understand that certain phases of childhood are more difficult than others. Parenting is unique in the sense that it requires constant and steadfast attention to detail. Any lapse in judgment can compromise the safety of children, and successful guidance starts in the house.               

                A particularly difficult phase of childhood is the time surrounding the teenage years. The combination of puberty, peer pressure and curiosity forms a tornado of risk taking behavior. Below, I list main areas of the house for parents to safe proof with the goal of making the teen transition a safe one. 

1.       Make the house a forum for communication.       

        One of the most common struggles that parents encounter with their children during the teenage years is lack of communication. It’s hard to foster a safe environment if the ability to understand one another is lacking. If you are a parent or another guardian figure, make sure that you explain to your children that you are always available to talk with them. Your house should be their safe haven.

        When parents don’t hear from their children they have no means to intervene and be helpful when teens are going through tough times. Be open, friendly and trustworthy as a parent and you both will be rewarded. There will be ups and downs, but making your house a place of two way communication can contribute to mental and physical safety. 

Minimum action: Have a sit down conversation every week with your child. Sunday is a convenient time to start. Just before the school week starts is ideal because your child may want to share what happened over the weekend and what they’re worried about heading into the week. 

2.       Loosely monitor internet activity.       

        While avoiding the “Helicopter Parent” label, make sure as a guardian that you are aware of your teenager’s internet presence. It’s crucial to understand the general activity that your child is involved with when it comes to the cyber world. Try not to dwell on the worst cyber-related news stories you’ve ever heard, but at the same time, take into account the possibilities. Set ground rules, and monitor usage to an appropriate degree.  Some ways to accomplish this: 

-Briefly check the computer’s history each week.

-Enable cookies on the browser in case you really need to investigate at some point.

-Frequently ask your child what they are doing on the computer.

-Make it clear you are monitoring usage. If not, a child can feel he or she is not trusted. 

Minimum action: At the very least, you as a parent need to have a good idea of what your teenager is using the internet for. In 2013, this is a prime area of concern when children are involved. Monitor usage to the degree that you feel is necessary within your relative situation that will lead to the highest level of safety. 

3.       Lock up alcohol and firearms. 

        Two extremely dangerous factors in American teenage culture are alcohol and firearms. The combination of the two can be fatal and it’s very, very important to make sure they are locked up. The only time a child should come into contact with either of these items under your watch is when they are legally able to. For one, it is very illegal for adults to provide alcohol to minors. Similarly, it’s very illegal for a teen to operate a firearm without any training or license. Safety can be compromised and completely turned upside down if firearms or alcohol are used inappropriately. 

Minimum action: In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be guns in your household. If there are, lock them up in a gun safe. Putting them on the top shelf of a closet is not sufficient in 2013. With alcohol, make sure to put it in a place where you can adequately monitor it. Alcohol is a complex issue for parents to handle when it comes to teenagers. The best course of action is to be up front with your children and monitor bottle counts and levels. 

Teenage years are an important phase in life for children and possibly even more so for a parent. If you are a guardian, your true test will come during this time. It’s important to put safety above all else, and it starts in the house. Your property is where your child will spend a majority of his or her time, and with all of the risks in society, it’s vital to safe proof the house.  

Naomi Broderick is a professional writer who’s secure in her abilities and even more confident in her parenting. When she’s not juggling her three children in the front yard she writes for ProtectYourHome.com, a leader in home security.

 

 

 

General Safety Issues

TURN THE PHONE OFF WHILE DRIVING, PLEASE!

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Continuing with this important message about safety while driving (featuring cell phone use), the National Safety Council is using the final week of National Safety Month to focus on the theme: On the Road – Off the Phone!  Yesterday, we gave statistics that involve crashes on U.S. highways, many attributed to distracted driving, and that distracted driving has been added to the top leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes, along with alcohol and speeding.  Using a cell phone while driving can be a serious distraction. 

Drivers must understand the full impact of driving while talking on cell phones with either handheld or hands-free phones.  We want to explain how cognitively complex it is to talk on the phone and drive a vehicle at the same time, and why this drains the brain’s resources.  We like to think of ourselves as being able to “multitask” in today’s society.  Even though you may complete a phone coversation while driving and arrive safely, you did not “multitask” and you did not accomplish both tasks with optimal focus and effectiveness.

Our brains cannot perform two tasks at the same time.  The brain handles tasks sequentially, switching between one task and another. Yes, they can juggle tasks very quickly, which makes us think that we are doing two things at the same time.  However, we are switching attention between tasks, doing only one at a time.  The brain has to decide what to pay attention to.  This is known as “attention switching.”  When you are talking on a cell phone while driving, your brain is dealing with divided attention.  You may be more interested in the conversation than the warnings of navigation and safety hazards.  You may be so involved in the phone conversation that you fail to see a red light or stop sign, until it is too late. 

According to Barry Kantowitz, Director of University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, thinking about a conversation requires mental capability made for safe driving.  He doesn’t hold out much hope for hands-free devices because they tend to reduce the amount of concentration required to process a phone conversation.  University of Kansas psychology professor, Paul Atchley states, “hands-free devices are only safer under very limited circumstances”.  In his work, hands-free devices show a reduction in attention in drivers 20-years-old, to the same attention level they see in many 85-year-old drivers.

We think it’s easy to talk on a cell phone while taking a walk, but even then your judgment can be impaired.  If that’s the case, think how much more responsibility you should show when you are behind the wheel.  Listening to music does not result in lower response time, according to studies.  But when the same drivers talk on cell phones, they do have a slower response time.  Loud music, however, can prevent drivers from hearing sirens and other warnings they should be alert for.

These articles are meant for drivers of every age.  It is our hope that thinking about this will keep yourself and others on the road safer.  I see mothers driving down the streets with little children in the back seat,  but they are more engaged in texting and talking on the phone.  All of us can name an incident where there was a sign of inattention by a driver, (even a close call!)  I know someone who can’t seem to talk while driving without turning to address her audience in the back seat.  We can all make a list of things that shouldn’t be done while driving, let me go first! 

But this week’s focus is on leaving the cell phone off while driving.  This is not too much to ask of anyone.  It would be great, if technology could do it for us; then we wouldn’t have to trust each other to do the right thing!   Please drive safely!  Remember, you must pay attention to the other guy, as well as yourself.