Kids, tools and accidents.

[monkeybiter]

Not totally off topic; I've had a penknife in my pocket nearly every day at least since I was ten, only person I ever hurt with it was me and only once. As a kid I made fireworks, got trapped in empty buildings etc. etc. .
A full and capable life includes an understanding and acceptance of risk, normally learned by receiving a knock or two.
Scars are like certificates of education, as parents and guardians we should teach and mentor our kids, but allow a certain exposure to risk and consequences.
Complete protection can prevent a development of self reliance.

 

[Bodgers]

Not totally off topic; I've had a penknife in my pocket nearly every day at least since I was ten, only person I ever hurt with it was me and only once. As a kid I made fireworks, got trapped in empty buildings etc. etc. .
A full and capable life includes an understanding and acceptance of risk, normally learned by receiving a knock or two.
Scars are like certificates of education, as parents and guardians we should teach and mentor our kids, but allow a certain exposure to risk and consequences.
Complete protection can prevent a development of self reliance.

Whilst I completely agree with you, if you are in a situation where the opportunity is there to be supervise, then why not do it? My wife would be asking me the same question if this happened in our house...

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[monkeybiter]

Agreed, supervise, guide, mentor etc.; then allow a certain degree of mistake to be made and allow a few knocks and bumps. IMHO as long as an injury is not severe and will heal then it's nothing to worry about.
I think that as parents it is our job to be there, but they will learn far more from their own experience [under your guidance] than just from the guidance, especially if that supervision significantly limits their experience.

 

[Graham Orm]

Having skimmed through the thread, I can see that I'm probably going against the grain But doesn't the fact that he did this prove that he shouldn't be unsupervised?
I cut myself with chisels from time to time, always on my fingers, how on earth did he do that to his face?
My feeling is that the proof is there to see, he wasn't competent enough to be left on his own. Had he blinded himself in one eye could it have been dismissed as an educational mishap?

My sympathies go to both the lad and parents. I've made mistakes with my kids, no one's perfect. I hope that maybe it's a lesson to parents as well as the youngster.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I agree completely with what Graham said. I composed a post much to that effect but deleted it because I didn't want to make Dad feel any worse about this than I'm sure he already does. Graham has put it better than I could. Accidents do happen, but the tools we use are capable of inflicting life changing injury. Cut fingers are perhaps a learning experience, but eyes, arteries and tendons are another thing. There is no small error of judgement by which the sharp end of a chisel comes anywhere near your face.