“Parents are just bad at risk assessment” says author Christie Barnes and mother of four. In her book “The Paranoid Parents Guide”, she claims parents constantly overestimate rare dangers while underestimate common ones.
Well what is she referring to? Most parents feel strongly that they do make right choices and would feel very offended if questioned about their care. Those protective, instinctual urges rise up like hairs on the back of one’s neck.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the five things most likely to cause injury to children up to the age of 18 are : car accidents, homicide usually at the hands of someone they know, child abuse, suicide or drowning.
But what are the 5 things most parents concerned about? Interestingly, it happens to be: kidnapping, school snipers, terrorists dangerous strangers and drugs. Well parents, its time to recalculate when determining the safety of your kids!
A Cognitive Behaviour therapist would say parents make cognitive errors
when assessing the safety of their children.
