After a short hiatus from my blog writing, I'm back and
inspired tonight. So far, I have shied away from taking strong stances on
controversial issues in my previous posts.
But tonight, I'm a little fired up and feel the need to voice my frustration.
I've just come from the annual July 4th neighborhood block
party. We all had a great time, until
about an hour ago. That's when I had to
make a pretty immediate exit with the girls.
Now, the party is still going strong, but I'm sitting in my home office
with my kids upstairs doing their best to fall asleep amidst the loud bangs of
fireworks coming from up the block. Several
dozen adults with kids ranging in age from two to eighteen all sitting around
watching a few of the guys setting up and igniting a wide variety of fireworks
purchased just over the border. It's
just another part of the annual tradition, and a tradition that thousands, if
not millions, of people around the country partake in.
And just as lighting the fireworks is a tradition, so is the
thousands of ambulance rides to the hospital that follow each year. Heck, why don't we just grab our guns and
have a wild wild west shootout like we're John Wayne. Ok, so maybe that's a little over the top,
but the fact is, everyone's heard of the dangers, and yet everyone continues to
do it. In 2011, 4 people died and 9,600 were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks injuries.
And worst of all tonight was the challenge of trying to
teach my two daughters why we don't want them playing with fireworks and
sparklers, while watching their friends play with them with the acceptance of
their parents. I'm not sure what was
worse, convincing my kids they are too dangerous to play with, or trying to
explain that they shouldn't worry about their friends getting hurt. What a catch-22.
In the end, once the fireworks started, the loud noise was
too much for either of them to handle and we headed home crying and with hands
over the ears. So I don't think the
desire was there anymore to be a part of the action. But it made me really think about the best
ways to teach my kids right from wrong when there are so many examples of
people they trust doing that same wrong all around us. Tonight it was the fireworks. Tomorrow I'm sure it will be something
else. I guess this is what it's going to
be like now that they've reached the age of being able to understand these
types of issues.
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| Raleigh Fireworks |
Let me conclude by saying that I love my neighborhood and all
of my friends, and this post is in no way meant to reflect poorly on those
involved or to act in specific judgment of them. I've written several other posts about how
wonderful these folks are and how I trust them like family. But it is meant to ask the general question
"Why Do People Insist on Lighting Fireworks?". After all, so much can go wrong. Tomorrow there are fireworks in downtown
Raleigh run by professionals. Let them
do what they do best, and let us do what we do best...watch.
I know I rarely get many comments on my posts, but I'd love
this one to be different. Please share
your personal experiences with fireworks or your thoughts on this topic. I'd also love to hear how you tackle this
types of issues with your kids and teach them to be strong in making good
choices when others may not.
You do the best you can and hope that your kids will listen.
ReplyDeleteThat's really all I can do! Thanks for the post.
DeleteShort answer:
ReplyDeleteBecause its fun.
Long answer:coming this evening when I can get to an actual keyboard.
Long answer:
ReplyDeleteI am the youngest of three boys. My older brothers are 10 and 14 years older than I am. As a young teenager and starting my life with fireworks I was told by my brothers how they used to have battles with their friend up the street. Both sides launching bottle rockets over the street and two backyards of neighbors to get to the "enemy camp". I didn't have a friend that close, but something told me that was not a good idea.
I love fireworks. My two favorite holidays are Christmas and Independence Day. Fireworks have been a huge part of me since I was a kid and it will never go away. Years ago while looking at business prospects and ideas, one thought was to have my own professional fireworks company, doing displays for crowds in the biggest cities and at major events. Further review determined it would've been difficult and costly to make that happen at the time. Sorry I got sidetracked there...where was I? Oh yeah!
Mike, I love you too and you're a great friend. I take nothing bad in what was said and I hope for the same. I hate the fact that you and your entire family weren't present for the entire night. It was a blast! (no pun intended) There are a couple of things I'd like to draw attention to and comment on from your post.
First, the stats and numbers. Obviously, a guy like me will bring up stats on a common, ordinary, daily, part of life event to show how minuscule the fireworks numbers are. So, I will, and I present to you...crossing the street. Taken from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is this:
In 2010, 4,280 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 70,000 were injured in
traffic crashes in the United States. On average, a pedestrian was killed every two
hours and injured every eight minutes in traffic crashes. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811625.pdf
I think every one of us will be crossing the street tomorrow and teaching our kids to do it safely regardless of the inherent risks. The numbers you quoted for fireworks injuries and deaths actually seem lower than I expected. There are things that can go wrong, but I am willing to bet that the vast majority of those injuries are a result of misuse. Sure, there are fireworks that do not perform as they should, defective if you will. But even those, if good safety practices are in order, malfunctions can often be no big deal.
Second, is the implication of right and wrong and watching all of the other parents doing what you consider wrong. It truly is in the eye of the beholder. With that being said, we all have our limitations of what is acceptable with our children. In high school I knew of kids who smoked weed with their parents. I considered that very wrong. I don't know how they could justify what they were doing and the implications of what their actions would have on their kids. Now in no way am I comparing shooting off fireworks with kids to smoking weed with kids. It’s simply that a greater percentage of the population finds that wrong than finds fireworks wrong.
Third, is the catch 22 that you indicated. I try very hard as a parent to not end up in a situation like that. I know it’s tough!! It feels like we're talking out of both sides of our mouths at the time. But whenever it happens, it makes me question my stance just a little. Why did I say no? Why did I say yes? Tonight my son respectfully questioned a decision I made. It made me question it too for a second, and as a parent I stood behind it because I have the experience and knowledge to back it up, even if I didn't have the exact facts. Years ago though, my ex-wife caught that I was actually instilling some of my own fears into my kids. Since I had been briefly bullied in middle school, I assumed that they would at some point too, and I treated them as if it were happening when it wasn't. I let go, knowing there was nothing to indicate that the same thing was happening to them, and why should it after all???
ReplyDeleteBottom line for me is two-fold: I am pro life, and it comes down to respect.
1. As much as I am pro fireworks, I am even more-so pro life. No, not talking about abortion, I'm talking about living life and living it to the fullest. There are things that are truly damaging like the use of drugs and the abuse of alcohol and smoking. I'm not talking about those. But I want myself and my kids to fill their lives with experiences. I want them to know how to do things, I want them to experience as much of what the world has to offer as possible. It’s the best way to give thanks for the fragile lives we were given. That means not living in fear of what could happen. That means crossing the street. That means lighting a firecracker, That means taking the trail through the darkest part of the woods. That means a lot of things. You just never know what you're missing out on until you get there, and I don't want them to miss a thing!!
2. Respect??? Yup, respect. If there's one thing I want to teach my kids as a tool for life, its respect. I shoot off fireworks. I love it. Yearly, I begin looking forward to the next July 4th celebration the minute the previous one ends. I learned early on to respect fireworks. Not because something horrible happened, because I looked at them intelligently and learned from others' mistakes. My respect for them means that I do things to make sure things go as safely as possible. I buy my fireworks from permanent, year round buildings. These are people who have a lot invested in their business and the community they operate in and are not going anywhere. Their products are higher quality than the guys with the tents that are in business for 45 days each year. They are held accountable. They don't disappear when July 5 comes around. When its time to ignite, mortar tubes are screwed onto a plywood platform so they will not fall over. Heavy bricks are placed on four sides of cake style fireworks to prevent them from falling over as well. I do not, and encourage my kids to not ever light anything that is in their hand. If the area is dry, there are hoses nearby, and no one is allowed too close while they are going off.
I could go on for an hour about respect but that's for another day...maybe my own blog???:)
I could also go on about fireworks all night but I need to stop! So, why do I insist on lighting fireworks?? Because its fun!
Erich, thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough comment! Your feelings on this topic are exactly what I was trying to teach Kaela. That it is up to each individual (or parents in this case until she is old enough), to make a decision on what is and isn't safe and appropriate. I personally don't feel safe around fireworks and sparklers, but clearly you do. And so we do what we do. I appreciate your perspective and am proud to call you my friend.
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