The Parenting Corner
Just Put On The Helmet
Studies indicate that wearing a helmet reduced head injuries and death in bicycle and in-line skating accidents by at least 75 percent. A child only needs to fall a distance of two feet to incur a brain injury.
A parenting decision that could have gone either way. My family and I were on the Blackstone Valley bike path last summer. My then 7-year-old son took turns complaining about being tired and about wearing a helmet. He and I took a break and he spent a minute or two begging to take off his helmet. “It feels tight. It feels heavy. I don’t need it!” For a quick, split second I considered just taking his helmet. I couldn’t take the whining anymore. Besides we were only two minutes from the car. Thankfully, I stuck to my guns and refused his request. One minute later he was cruising down a slight decline, lost control of his bike and rammed headfirst into a cement wall. You already can imagine how it could have easily gone the other way. …
