Danger at Corniche and Careless Parents..

Shreeya, I agree with you. If you see a child in danger then I believe it is your responsibilty to take action. It doesn't matter if the parents are nearby doing nothing.

I regularly see young children wandering on the streets here. I get out of the car, take them by the hand and ring their doorbell. I insist that a parent comes out. I then explain that I nearly killed their child who was left to wander on the road.

I believe if you don't do anything to protect a child in danger then you are as bad as the parents who are not supervising their children.

'It Takes A Village' (Hilary Clinton) springs to mind.

And thatguy, I am happy because the concerned parents in the incident which I described thanked me for what I had done.

What I did is just out of humanity and not to get praised by anybody.

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I am sure you have not become a father/mother yet...and I wish you shouldn't be either...Just think if your son / daughter gets a cut with that knife and I am your neighbor and I am giving you the same answer!!!Or God forbid, your offspring got kidnapped and somebody giving you the same answer that he actually deserves kidnapping.

Even Madallien is not mine or the whole world's responsibility...still everyone is praying for that innocent girl for her safe return..

thatguy you don't even pray for anybody...'cause with that attitude even GOD is not going to come to your help....

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as i have learned from my daughter who is two... you can never be to careful... yet ... you can be over protective... and as an onlooker... it is not your realm to say weither or not someone else is being a bad parent. do you know if those kids parents climb cliffs as hobbies...

or do you know wiether or not those parents have warned there children already and figured maybe they should learn the hard way...

i know this sounds stupid and cruel... but if i was a parent and some one came up to my kids while they were playing and told them what to do... i would be pissed... for they are not your children...

you should stay out of other peoples business... as for the municipality being responsible... ARE YOU KIDDING ME... what next the municipality is going to be forced to put some one on gaurd in your home 24/7 because the knife draw is very accessable to children...

people lets be people... you should have respect for other peoples privacy and not worry about how they raise there children... its not your child... dont think of it as your child...

I think its only we who care so much about the safety of our kids.....Arabs in general think that kids can look after themselves and we should leave them alone, then only they will become independent. They think that we are spoiling our kids by being with them all the time. They really don't realize that if something happens..will they be able to forgive themselves??

Once there was a Sudanese boy in the Corniche ..maybe 5 or 6 yrs..His foot got stuck in his scooter...couldnt find his parents anywhere...his foot was bleeding like anything..My husband tried to pull out his foot but its was too difficult and he called the ambulance.....when the ambulance came his parents came running asking if it was their child...how irresponsible!

Me? Wonderful mother? Hmmm...I dont think so. I'm not a very patient person so I'd probably end up either spoiling them by giving in too easily or yelling. Plus having children is ALOT of responsibility! Scary stuff.

I been there ... done that ... lmao. No no ... not as a mother calling my son (i am sure my time will come), but i been living away as a uni students, and yes ... my mum keep checking on me wether i back to my dormitory on time. Hehe...

Cause she'll see how all u mothers are so protective and then decide she has to be protective too and will end up calling me every hour, asking me where I'm going and who I'm with, bla bla bla! Please spare me!

"Novi, I've seen mothers in the hospital with the maids caring their sick children. Why have a child if u don't even want to take care of him when he's ill??"

-----> i know what you mean Corne. As i said before, you will be a wonderful mother when the times comes.

When I was young, my parents never went anywhere without me, I was same with my children. Now my daughter has a child, they are the same with my grandson.

We bring children into the world, we are responsible for them, and they are our life & future. Without them we are nothing.

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"Hope my mom never comes across this thread! LOL"

---> why? :P

actually you will find all kinds of mothers everywhere, but can we judge if one loves her child more than the other, becaseu one is more over protective than the other.

i dont think so.

its very relative.

let us be responsible and protective mothers and leave the rest to what they think right.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

you know what novi, each individual is different and theri perception of things is different.

they are comfortable in the services of the maid and drivers.

having children is the duty.

then on, kids anyway grow up.

this could be the mentality.

its risky but they dont think like we do.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

Novi, I've seen mothers in the hospital with the maids caring their sick children. Why have a child if u don't even want to take care of him when he's ill??

Hope my mom never comes across this thread! LOL

"i dont mind being over protective, over possessive or even suspicious of others motives, when it comes to my kids.

i am responsible for their well being."

----> and i second you too. What sometimes make me wonder ... i see some mums dont work, maid send the kids to school with the drivers. And the mother hardly being seen at school. So why you want to have kid/s if you not bother to do anything?

i dont mind being over protective, over possessive or even suspicious of others motives, when it comes to my kids.

i am responsible for their well being.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

"I suppose we are just paranoid but I would rather be over protective than irresponsible."

----> i defenitely second that.

Our house in the UK is quite private, with an 8ft fence into the back garden the gate always locked, yet I worry when my 3 years old Grandson goes into the garden. I do not allow him to go out without someone being there. I suppose we are just paranoid but I would rather be over protective than irresponsible.

Children give unconditional love, why cant adults give the same.

i am forever paranoid about kids drowning in water and my little one is just too fascinated to play in the toilet water.

i had bolts placed on the door, but it had to be on the height my toilet trained kid could un latch.....well he has the tendency to lock people in the bathroom.

so now i had to reomve the bolts.

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DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

lol ... yes he is. Otherwise we will 'strangle' each other. Seriously. My son is very active and sociable. He like to meet friends, goes to his tae kwon do class, play date etc etc. Being on summer holiday and we can't go anywhere i need to entertain him. First few days probably fine by taking him to mall, cinema, eating out, junggle zone. But don't think i can do it for 2 months.

i dont call his summer school as a summer school ... i tell him summer playgroup. And he really look forward to it.

I still thank you for giving me the direction :-) x

mp....my apologies if my post came across as a bit harsh.

hope your query was answered.

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DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

Summer school...does the poor boy have to go to school in the summer?

diamond girl ...

i think you understand my worry. Now he off for 2 months. His summer school started on Tuesday. So tomorrow and monday i will have 'mother and son bonding days'.

I love him ... but i can't stand him lol.

right back at ya Nov...I worry about my children just like you do about your son...I hardly ever let them out of my sight and when I do it's only with people who are VERY sensible and trusted...!!! Like you said an accident only happens once and then it's too late, eh?

i really think highly of you.

one of my students told me how the maid decanted cleaning fluids into a soft drinks bottle and kept them in a cupboard under the sink - guess what? yes child drank it and died.

there was another tragic case in Mexico when a toddler tripped into a bucket full of water.... drowned.

so it is about making sure everyone and everything is looked after and informed. it would be totally feasible for the government to run domestic safety campaigns on telly and in the papers.

Thanks so much for the insight about Insha'Allah diamondgirl..appreciate it! (I wasn't sure...)

x mp

missmoneypenny (love your username!!!)... to answer your query...this ínsha'Allah reason of not putting seatbelts on is ignorant. Speaking as a Muslima, I can categorically say that although we cannot have total control over everything that happens to us, we have been blessed with brains (well most of us!). Someone had the brilliant idea of putting seatbelts in cars to help with safety. The seatbelts are there in the cars for us to use. One is supposed to use well and not ignore what has been provided for us. THAT'S God's will!

I give carseats as baby presents to people with newborns who may not have thought of it. It's a great way to educate/slightly pressurize someone in the nicest way possuble!!!

Totallly agree - thats why we need more campaigns. We were just blessed to have had campaigns to help us wake up to that fact.

han19 - it was a question not a statement...

:) x mp

MissMP and Treysdad,

Even we have grown up without seat belts and helmets and those sort of things. But with the roads conditions improving and the speeds crossing above 100 kms, you simply can't afford not wearing a seat belt.

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your last statement had no logic.

insha'allah does mean "if God wills", but that doesnt mean we dont do our work. How will God help us, when we dont want to help ourselves?

its ignorant people who try to reason themselves in such a way and try to escape out of their moral responsibility as a parent.

Allah Forbid, something happens to their child, but the first question that always comes to the mind is " oh allah why me".

human nature is always looking for excuses.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

han19

thanks :-). I like they way you say 'whiskers start peeping out' lmao. hehe...

when his whiskers start peeping out, he needs to go by himself.

until then take him with you.

i dont think women would mind that way.

under 12 is a young child.

a parent can never be too careful.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

when my husband ranting about kids without seatbelt ... i told him that i grow up without one. And he said that i am lucky to be alive till now.

I dont believe with the word insha'allah ... if we can prevent it happen why not? Will you let your child dies when you know (god forbid) they can survive by strapping them in properly in the car seat?

anyway ... i don't want to light another fire about this ... i am a mum and i responsible with my own kid. And it should be the same with the other parents, they responsible on their kids too.

back in the day we never used to wear seatbelts...

friends agree and say it was the same for them.

perhaps this 'common sense' we all claim to have was actually drilled into us by the ad campaigns? Remember through the 80's and 90's we were bombarded with ad campaigns about reckless driving...

Perhaps Qatar needs better campaigns!! TV, Billboards, the whole deal (ie. not just those dodgy little sign-posts that look like stopsigns)

Perhaps the parents need to be shocked into the realization of what position they are putting there kids in when they let them jump around without belts.

...But hey I did hear another theory the other day that 'insh'allah' is the reason people don't bother to belt their kids. ie) If its God's will it will happen...is that theory really true? (is there someone out there who doesn't belt their kids who can enlighten us??)

x mp

u sound like my mother in law.lol. But no ... i will not taking any chance. Accident only happen once ... and you will regret it for the rest of your life.

thanks ... so i can take my son to ladies toilet without being worry till he is 12. lol. Doubt it he will go in willingly by then :-) x

Yesterday, I was talking with my British landlord about how we may have become too paranoid as parents. Now we wouldn't let our kids walk two blocks down the road without company. We would not let them ride a bike without helmet, knee pads, elbows pads, etc.

Yet when we were kids ourselves we rode bikes without safety pads, even without working brakes. We would spend the days running down hills and fields more than a couple of blocks away from our homes. But would we now call our parents negligent? I don't think so.

Maybe it's just the bombardment of negative events that have lead us to this paranoia that something wrong will happen everytime we let our kids explore the world on their own or we take off our eyes from them. We may have become too restrictive as parents because of all the hype on negative events. We may be limiting our children's creativity and right to enjoy life as kids. Just a thought.....

Hi novita77...think it's OK to take your son into public lavatories here until they are at least twelve. They're still considered little boys if they are under twelve. Though by then he probably won't let you by the sounds of it!!!

Well DaRuDe, I would have used more colorful language but as you know we cant :D

thanks scorpio. I will might just do that. :-)

u copy cat :D

Buzz offfffffffffffffff

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Take him until YOU feel comfortable enough to let him go on his own. If anyone complains, tell them to buzz off!

i remembered well reading that story in the paper. Keep asking me the same question ... if that happened to me how would i react? I always paranoid anything to do with my son (who don't???). Especially about going to the toilet in the public places. My son is 6 now. He start complaining if i take him to the ladies toilet with me. He normally can go with his dad when we out together. But when only me and him in the mall, and he need to go to toilet, he keep asking me that he want to go to man's toilet alone. Keep telling me that he can look after himself, make sure the door is lock etc etc. But with all the story of pedhophile around ... i'd rather to drag him to the ladies toilet with me.

Does anyone knows until how old i can take my son to the ladies toilet without somebody else complaining?

sheesh, novita you beat me to this information. i was just adjusting my seat to type out that story.

anyway that was very sad.

but after that accident took place, what happened?

did anyone report about any safety measures that were taken following it?

parents have to be responsible for their little children, but the government too need to make all public places safe, esp when they know the place is frequented by families with young children.

happy heart

DRIVE SAFE,someone is waiting for you at home

few yrs back there was a boy 4 yrs old, he was on the bike, he touch an expose wire on the lamp post. And he died electrocuted. Whose to blame?

it happened in the corniche.

Fining parents in Qatar? Don't see it happening. Though safety precautions in public places is more likely.

Can you imagine the outrage it would cause fining parents...LOL...I do agree with you!

I have witnessed parent´s negligence many times (Take a look at the landcrusier next to you and you are likely to see small kids bouncing up and down)

Yes, it is parent´s responsability. Unfortunately, not every parent is a responsible parent and the children shouldn´t pay with their lifes for their parent´s carelessness. I believe the municipality should take charge as well by ensuring that public places are as safe as possible and fine parents when appropiate.

Speaking about children downing, I know a little girl who was about 8 years old who drowned in the compound pool,when her mom went back to the house for 20 minutes get something. So no matter what, noone should leave their kids unattended to, even if there's lifeguard, and even if it was for a few minutes. Those few minutes can be life changing.

The parents should ensure the safety of their own children. It's common sense when you have young children especially near water that you stay with them at all times. A child can drown in water that is only a few inches deep.

When something tragic does happen, it's only natural for the parents to blame someone else because of the guilt that they feel!

Dinkyw,

The other day I saw a girl skating on the parapet wall. And Yes, it is true that there are no lifeguards on corneche, at least I have never seen anybody around.

So, the municipality as well as parents both are equally responsible.

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Should the municipality use its resources to ensure the safety of the children, while the parents take no action;

or

Should the parents ensure the safety of their own children?

Case in Dubai last year, a 3 year old drowned in a compound pool - the parent was chatting on his mobile, there was no lifeguard. Who is responsible?