MetaChat - What do kids need to know?

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15 June 2007

What do kids need to know? Today I've been following this MeFi thread on free-range kids. I liked the comment about the instructions children should get. What were yours?→[More:]I'm interested in seeing how fast we can get a solid compilation of the life-saving advice adults should give to kids before they reach the age of, say, 10. Please add on...

post by: Miko at: 14:58 | 30 comments

(thread robbing)
Don't talk to strangers
Don't take candy(gifts, whatever) from strangers
Walk facing traffic
Memorize your phone number and address
Look both ways before crossing the street
Don't stick your fingers in the socket
Don't touch anything electric while you're wet or standing in water
Don't mix bleach and ammonia
If you feel weird about people, don't follow them
If you get lost, stay in one place until someone comes for you
If you get lost in a big crowd, find a policeman or someone else in uniform and stay with them
Be home before the streetlights come on

posted by Miko 15 June | 15:01

The report, published by Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, also found that children's behaviour and school work improve if their playground has grassy areas, ponds and trees.

The pond thing is a non-starter. Grass and trees, fine. But standing water in a school yard, not in any of MY schools.

posted by danf 15 June | 15:10

I've been following that thread too.

Look Left, Right, then Left again before crossing the street.

If there is a thunderstorm and you are caught outside, don't get under a tree, lie in a ditch. (See also: Don't go swimming in a thunderstorm. The car is the safest place to be in a thunderstorm.)

Don't go down to the creek. (I did anyway.)

Come when I call (Bellow, in the case of my Dad. He took eccentric pride in having the loudest and wierdest "come inside" yell in the neighborhood.)

Walk facing traffic.
Don't talk to/take candy from/get in the car with a stranger.

That's about it.

posted by rainbaby 15 June | 15:10

Never go swimming alone.

In a fire, get down low and crawl out. Feel the door before opening.

posted by Miko 15 June | 15:16

Oh, they keep occurring to me.

If someone jumps/falls in the water, don't jump in after them. Throw them anything within reach or extend something to them.

If you're caught in a riptide, swim sideways out of the current.

posted by Miko 15 June | 15:18

My daddy told me never to take stuff from strangers.

Very wise of ya dad, Georgie - very wise indeed. But *I* am Pennywise the Dancin Clown- and you're Georgie! So now we know eachotha!

posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson 15 June | 15:27

If you need to throw a rope out to someone in the water, coil it up first so you can throw it farther.

Don't jump in the irrigation canal. (it was gross and putrid anyway)

Stop, drop, and roll.

posted by muddgirl 15 June | 15:29

Wear rubber-soled shoes during a lightning storm. Don't eat berries off of trees or bushes, no matter how pretty and bright red they are.

posted by matildaben 15 June | 15:32

Always trade stuff.

posted by omiewise 15 June | 15:34

Look Left, Right, then Left again before crossing the street.

Yeah. I had that drummed into me by Sesame Street. Only, it's a little useless when you grow up in New Zealand with the cars driving on the other side of the road and all.

Of course, it was still instilled when I finally moved to the USA, so my mother using the TV as a babysitter paid dividends eventually.

(other useless Sesame Street thing? Spanish. Not so common in NZ.)

posted by gaspode 15 June | 15:35

Stay well away from any machinery.

posted by danf 15 June | 15:36

Don't just look both ways before crossing the street. Look while you cross, too.

posted by Hugh Janus 15 June | 15:39

Don't eat the oleanders.

(There were no oleanders - she was just passing it on from her mother.)

posted by small_ruminant 15 June | 15:41

It's funny because they're different than you.

posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson 15 June | 15:45

Have you seen the blog piece: 27 skills your child needs to know that s/he's not getting in school from the zenhabits web site?

posted by getoffmylawn 15 June | 15:46

pretty cool handout, goml.

posted by Miko 15 June | 16:00

Loosen the lug nuts before you jack up the car.
Pour baking soda on a kitchen fire.

posted by muddgirl 15 June | 16:19

Wash your hands!
Drink lots of water.
9-1-1

posted by jrossi4r 15 June | 16:23

I just ran through a few of these with my daughter. When I got to the staying low in case of fire she perked up and yelled, "Limbo!"

I'm screwed.

posted by jrossi4r 15 June | 16:30

Don't bother Daddy when the TV is on.

posted by jonmc 15 June | 16:31

i thought the thread was a kind of a weird circle jerk*, inspired by a very dumb article. maybe i'm the only one.

*eg,

-BASED ON ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, CHILDREN ARE BEING RAISED IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY THAN WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND I DONT LIKE IT!

-WHEN I WAS A KID, WE DIDNT WEAR NO SEATBELT!

-PARENT/KIDS THESE DAYS!

contrariwise, children are much safer talking to strangers than you, statistically speaking. what effect does this have on our children's sense of community and well-being when everyone is to be viewed as a THREAT LEVEL CODE: RED? as they say... it takes a village, people are strange when youre a stranger, in soviet russia etc

posted by Wedge 15 June | 16:32

Don't bother Daddy when the TV is on.
Related: When getting mama a beer, pick a cold one. Do not shake it!

posted by jrossi4r 15 June | 16:36

My version: now that you can walk, go get daddy a beer.

posted by jonmc 15 June | 16:43

I swear that's why my dad had 5 kids. Eventually we'd get old enough to refuse and he'd have to spawn areplacement.

posted by jrossi4r 15 June | 17:04

Thanks for the link, Miko. I probably would have missed it otherwise.

We kids were allowed to run wild. Well, not "allowed" exactly. The older kids were supposed to watch the younger kids but that rarely happened; they were too busy drinking, smoking pot, selling drugs, etc. What didn't help is that Mum worked nights as a bartender. We'd be out to all hours even on weeknights. It's amazing we're all alive let alone sane (well, mostly sane).

All-in-all I wouldn't recommend that style of raising children. Some fairly bad things happened (at least to me) that wouldn't have happened with more, and better, supervision.

posted by deborah 15 June | 18:43

cool thread - I missed it too. here's what they told me:

come home when the street lights come on
take care of your possessions
mind your manners
look ahead & see what needs doing

posted by chewatadistance 15 June | 19:31

Aww. . .chewie. . you DO that! Look ahead and see what needs doing. I've never heard that before, but it describes you well. Even better if you add "Look ahead and see what needs doing with an infectious smile on your face."

And spell check wants to change chewie to chewier. : )

posted by rainbaby 15 June | 21:04

Agreed with RB, that is sage advice.

posted by Miko 15 June | 21:49

Don't vote Republican when you grow up - that's just fucking rude.

posted by trondant 16 June | 01:36

Even people in uniforms can be creeps. If they feel like creeps, you don't have to be ultra polite to them. Find a mommy with kids who gives off a good vibe, or a little old lady that you are confident about.

Grow up to be responsible for your actions, don't pass the buck.

Manners are not only about what we do when other people are watching, but also what we do when no one can see us/find out it was us who did the good and helpful things.

Also, screaming is for life threatening incidents only. Screaming brings adults running to the scene to start emergency first aid. Screaming does not involve fun.

Don't start fires away from approved locations (the grill and the fire-pit).

Do not pull the cat's tail.

posted by bilabial 19 June | 05:11

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