Why in the west, when it is the safest it has even been, are so many parents so scared?

[jennymanara]

In the west it is the safest ever time to be a child. Children are far less likely to die from accidents or illnesses than any time since records have been kept. And yet an increasing number of parents seem terrified that their child will come to harm.
There are loads of examples out there of this happening.
But what I am interested in is why has this happened?

The internet and social media.

The reason fewer children are coming to harm or dying in accidents is because parents are as careful and overprotective as they now are.

I'm 50. When I was a child in the 70s we used to walk to school alone from age 4 or 5, go into town on the bus at 10ish; be home alone for an hour or so after school from 8ish.
If parents take a step back again, then the accident rate will surely go up.

(I have to say, it was great fun being a child in the 70s!)

Perhaps not everyone emerged unscathed from the golden days of yore?

Perhaps it's linked to the fact people are having fewer children?

@Lycanthropology The greatest cause of child deaths from accidents in the past was road traffic, passengers in cars, or in the home when adults are present. A lot of those have been reduced through public health measures such as smoke alarms, better designs of cars, traffic slowing measures. The only children I knew who died died in a house fire at night, in a car, of cancer, and asthma.

Frank Furedi is the expert on this. Highly recommend him.

But my thread was not about what parents do to stop things like road accidents happening, but the fear so many parents have.

@RubberTreePlant thanks off to google

I agree with social media, and the press, when bad things happen they are big news and reported in Many different forms, leading to more people being aware and effected by them.
I think this exposer leads to parents being extra cautious.

Have you read Paranoid Parenting by Frank Furedi? It's basically asking the very same question. The gist of it that the media has skewed our perception of risk.

Because people are incredibly bad at assessing risk. For a number of very I teraring reSons

Or even interesting reasons.

Because more parents are over anxious and filled with anxiety. Such a shame. I don't see a lot of the 70's stuff as that bad, unlike a pp.

I find self absorbed parenting very depressing.

With my friends, which parents are (over) protective and which are more relaxed seem to relate to their individual circumstances.

The two biggest worriers I know, one had her first DC young aged 21 and I think felt judged and like she had be an extra good mum. The other had a long road to having DC and had doner egg IVF in her 40s.

The more 'average' situation mums ...(ie like me, pregnant after trying for a few months in late 20s) seem more relaxed.

I was talking to a friend who has 2 kids age 4 and 5. She says she has never slept properly since the eldest was born as she wakes up with every tiny sound anxious about them. That is over anxious.

What pps said: because most people are very bad at assessing risks correctly.

I also read a suggestion on a science blog that because we’ve eradicated the great majority of risks to children, the little tiny ones that do exist are blown out of all proportion. So we’ve eradicated smallpox... so people worry about pesticides in veg instead.

Postnatal anxiety can also be hormonal and can go on for years but I've only recently heard it spoken about. I wouldn't have known that anxiety without depression was its own diagnosis in that context.

If anxiety about your children's health or safety is stopping you from sleeping like your friend it would be something to speak to a GP about. CBT can be extremely helpful for anxiety and there is also medication.

Im fairly relaxed however I wouldn’t let my kids have the freedom I had, which wasn’t even loads. I don’t believe they would necessarily be at a greater risk but if something did happen parents get the blame which is a double whammy. Lots of “I wouldn’t let my child walk home at that age”, “play outside” etc.

I also read a suggestion on a science blog that because we’ve eradicated the great majority of risks to children, the little tiny ones that do exist are blown out of all proportion. So we’ve eradicated smallpox... so people worry about pesticides in veg instead.

That's interesting. A set 'baseline' worry level, perhaps, that is then added to by our increased exposure to events where children have come to harm as a result of mass & social media?