Helmets

My boys have taken up skateboarding. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. We sat down with them after getting their boards and all of their gear and had the "YOU MUST ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET" chat. It was readily received (mainly because they wanted us to shut up and let them get to it), but my husband took it one step further. He actually looked up some video on YouTube to show how many kids have been really hurt by not wearing their protective gear. This is the same chat we had when they got their bikes.

When I lived in Japan, we had a rule about wearing our bike helmets. I did and didn't, I don't know why, but one day one of our Elders was hit by a car. A really FAST car. His helmet (luckily he was wearing one) was blown to bits on impact. This young man did survive this terrible incident, but just barely...and with years of painful recovery.

I've also seen motorcycle accident attorneys discussing how valuable helmets have been in accidents, and how catastrophic it is when there isn't a helmet used.

I am a HUGE fan of helmets now. In fact, I wanted a helmet for each of my kids as they learned to walk! How is it all of us made it past this stage in our lives without much more damage? My kids always seemed to get up to speed with their steps, only to smash head first into a wall or down on to the floor! I did tell the boys that, "No, a helmet isn't always going to save your life, but you stand a much better chance of surviving if there is one on your head!" This is a family rule that isn't going anywhere!