There have been a few mishaps in recent times involving children and they have made me reflect on parenting. Do we have to protect our children by keeping them in a bubble? How will our children be able to explore around them? Is it fair to keep them locked in an indoor environment? These are just a few of the many questions that have come to mind and I've reflected on everything I have done to this point as a parent. 

My daughter started walking about a few weeks before she turned one and now that is all she wants to do. So you can imagine that being in a stroller, car seat or even being held in arms for too long can start up a tantrum. I've tried to put myself in the shoes of the parents that have gone through the unfortunate events that happened at the Cincinnati Zoo and at a Disney resort in Florida, and understand that kids want to be kids. They want to explore, they want to chase their imagination, and have fun. Now, The events that occurred could have been avoided by further safety precautions but that's not what I want to talk about. Kids have a great imagination and they want to explore the world around them. Are we right in taking that away from them? I don't think so. As parents, we should let them explore and enjoy things around them while keeping a close eye on them and be on the lookout for possible dangers. 

Camila Playing With Puppy
Camila
I see my daughter want to play with the flowers, want to get onto a desk, want to walk across the street. My view is that we as parents are aware of the possible dangers our children may face and our children aren't aware of these things. They just want to explore everything. When we go out and she's just about had it in her stroller, I walk her while holding her hand. Now I am very careful to not pick her up whenever she starts crying but I do attempt to calm her down. We're teaching her what is right and what's wrong and that is definitely something that we actively do when she's out and about. We can't keep our children in a bubble and deny them the joys of life, they won't know what it's like to play int he dirt, to go catch butterflies, and pick up flowers. But again, as parents, we should always be on the lookout and aware of anything that could pose a harm to our own. 

Playing at the Pearland Town Center Splash Pad



Do you think we should keep our children closer to us at all times or only when out in public or around traffic or possible dangers?