Careless Murder

Being a parent is a constant learning experience. The happiness and joy one feels when one does become a parent is unlike anything else. So is the despair of losing a child. There are natural calamities that one cannot help avoid like sickness or other natural causes and one feels helpless and perhaps comforted too that there is nothing else one could do. But there are situations and circumstances which however are totally under our control. 

Rules are made for a reason, they help save lives. I am particularly talking about basic rules of road safety. Simple things we normally don't pay any attention to can save lives or perhaps save from potential injury. 

For example when your walking on the open road with your child it only takes a moment to keep the child away from the road with you in between. Just a simple step. Or teaching your child how to cross a road properly and specially be more careful when on blind turns etc or perhaps simply holding his hand. Kids don't like holding parents hand and resist cause the are smaller and have to raise their arm which gets tired this can be easily remedied by the parent by lowering his arm and hand to the child's level.

What disturbs me most are the parents who let under age children ride motor bikes. I've seen far too many tragic deaths due to motor bike accidents for adults in my life time and for a kid to die like that is just murder by the parents. Yes Murder! they're to blame for their carelessness and have to live with the punishment of this guilt for the rest of their lives.

We neglect to follow simple rules like wearing a helmet or protective gear, demonstrating the dangers of activities like one wheeling or racing, there is a kind of street show in Rawalpindi on every weekend and similar in Lahore and Karachi too, kids, teens showoff their bikes and their skills. Most of the kids there have no protective gear and no supervision and since its not an official event there are no rescue services nearby or on standby. What is amazing that most of the parents don't even know about the activities of their children. Perhaps we don't value life anymore. Or perhaps we're just too careless putting our own and our loved ones lives in danger.

For those interested here are some must read basic street safety tips for walking that should be taught to children 

http://m.wikihow.com/Teach-Children-Basic-Street-Safety-when-Walking

Also a fun website which teaches about road safety to little children via games 

http://talesoftheroad.direct.gov.uk/

May Allah keep you all safe and keep you away from pain and grief (Ameen)