Parental Fears vs. Realities
From NPR:
Based on surveys Barnes collected, the top five worries of parents are, in order:
- Kidnapping
- School snipers
- Terrorists
- Dangerous strangers
- Drugs
But how do children really get hurt or killed?
- Car accidents
- Homicide (usually committed by a person who knows the child, not a stranger)
- Abuse
- Suicide
- Drowning
Why such a big discrepancy between worries and reality? Barnes says parents fixate on rare events because they internalize horrific stories they hear on the news or from a friend without stopping to think about the odds the same thing could happen to their children.
No surprise to any regular reader of this blog.
JohnnyDime • September 8, 2010 6:25 AM
The difference is that the first 5 are generally considered to be outside of a parents direct control and contain a considerable portion of unknown influences.
The second set of 5 are less so. I can drive safely, put a life vest on them, watch for signs of abuse or depression, etc…
Having lived in DC during the sniper situation, rationality is challenged when you think about taking your kid to soccer practice knowing that people are getting shot on a regular basis. Yes, the odds are miniscule that it would happen to me or my child, but it was happening and it was a totally powerless feeling. Perhaps it’s that feeling of powerlessness that separates the two sets of concerns.