Never forget that the kids who died in accidents growing up because they were not strapped into a car seat or wearing a bike helmet are not here to share their stories. Of course all of us survived, so we can look fondly on those carefree days. The kids who were not so lucky, and there were many, are now dead and therefore cannot share their opinions on helmets, car seats, etc. My guess is they would be in favor of them.
Our daughter, who is 6, knows that she must wear her helmet if she is going to ride her bike. No exceptions, or the bike goes away for two weeks (it hasn't needed to happen yet). She must also wear the kneepads and elbow pads when she roller skates or rides her
scooter. She frequently chooses to wear them when she rides her bike, as well, and that is fine with us but not mandatory. Every child in our neighborhood wears a helmet, without exception, and I can count on the other parents to watch my daughter for compliance, as they can count on me to watch for theirs.
We do not let her play pretend games like war, cowboys and Indians, etc., in our presence at least, and she knows our feelings about them as well as guns (real or pretend). I don't oppose the rights of others to allow their children to play those games, but violence, even pretend violence, goes against our beliefs as a family. That's not being overly protective, in my opinion, but a reflection of our values as a family.
We expect her to skin her elbows and knees, but the world evolves and we know more now than we did when I was a kid. Using those lessons to prevent needless injury just makes sense to me. I had a friend die in a skiing accident, before helmets were common, and a child in my school suffered permanent brain damage from a bike accident when I was growing up. I cannot protect my children from everything, but I can learn from life's lessons and employ the tools at my disposal to keep them safer.
