Child Safety: Preparing for the Unexpected

You know what troubles me most about being a parent? The unexpected. The stuff I'm not thinking about or ready for or anticipating. The things I just don't see coming.

I'm not talking about the first time my son used a swear word or asked an embarrassing question. I'm talking about the time I left him alone in a room and he—just shy of his third birthday—reached up and knocked over a floor lamp that exploded into a sea of glass around his bare feet. Or the time I turned my back and he—4 years old and tall for his age—decided to stand on the bed and try to touch the ceiling fan while the blades were spinning on high.

The experts tell you that you can't let your guard down for a second. You can't turn your back, walk away or fall asleep on the couch while the kids are playing upstairs. But let's face it. We're human. We juggle. We run out of steam. We turn our backs and fall asleep on the couch. All the time.

So far, my son has escaped with a few bumps and bruises. He's a pretty cautious fellow compared to some of his peers. But I still find the whole thing unnerving. I'm not sure what the answer is. I think it gets harder as they get older. Today my son is 5, but soon he'll be 11 and then 16 and chances are he'll spend more time with his friends than with me. I won't always know where he is or what he's doing. Sure, I can issue warnings about running in the house, playing with matches, swimming during a thunderstorm and other child safety issues, but there's very little I can do to prepare him—and myself—for the unexpected. He's going to have to handle life's surprises by himself. And I'm the one who is supposed to teach him how. How am I supposed to do that when I'm still figuring it out for myself?