Ethics: How Should We Decide What’s Safe For Our Kids?

In Massachusetts, there is a developing movement to eliminate unsafe sledding as a result of several sled-related injuries and deaths in recent years. Some communities have banned sledding, while others have erected warning signs, and one even is moving to require helmets to be worn while sledding. At first glance, some people will surely roll their eyes and complain about the sad state of the world that it has come to such intrusions on the ordinary lives of people. “What next, no dodgeball or tag? Oops, too late.” But at the same time, the vast majority of us put our children into safety seats in our cars (required by law), make them wear helmets when riding a bicycle, and perhaps have spent countless hours installing child safety latches on our cabinets and doors. We certainly don’t let kids play outside unsupervised until they’re teenagers, even though most of us were told simply to be home by dark. And I can clearly remember taking naps on the floor of the car in the back seat when my parents took us on long trips and swimming pools without safety gates, or even gates at all. But two questions surely remain: Have we gone too far in protecting our kids? And what should be our guiding philosophy in thinking about child safety?