Some people believe thimerosal is linked to autism in children. It's a belief not supported by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the parents of Buccholz's patients are well-educated and Web savvy, he said, and the Net has fed some of their fears.
Resources
Tips on how to keep kids safe from kidnappings: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC60.pdf
For parent support groups, tip sheets and other information: Parent Trust for Washington Children, www.parenttrust.org or the Family Help Line, 800-932-HOPE.
Information on child health and safety, as well as classes: Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, www.seattlechildrens.org/child_health_safety/
Information on child health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/od/spotlight/nwhw/kids/abc.htm
List of the leading causes of injury among children: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/children.htm
Some child protection tips
Sleeping: Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, even for naps. This is the safest sleep position for a healthy baby to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Babies placed on their stomachs to sleep are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed on their backs to sleep.
Install and maintain smoke alarms: Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home, including the basement. Be sure to place smoke alarms near rooms where people sleep. Test all of your smoke alarms every month to ensure that they work properly.
Plan ahead for emergencies: Post the Poison Control number, 800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone. Keep poisons and other hazardous substances away from children and pets.
Take a break: Take a break from a situation if you feel yourself losing control. Ask a friend or relative to watch your children for a little while. Offer to help other parents so they can take a break.
Talk: Talk to your kids about being healthy and staying safe. This includes discussions on tobacco, drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse and other subjects. Today's young people are bombarded with persuasive messages about tobacco and alcohol — messages that make smoking look normal, and drinking look cool. Learning to understand and analyze these messages from every kind of media outlet is more important than ever.
Use antibiotics wisely: Use antibiotics only when your health-care provider has determined they are likely to be effective. Children are of particular concern because they have the highest rate of antibiotic use. They also have the highest rate of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in a way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of antibiotics. These resistant bacteria survive and multiply, causing more harm, such as a longer illness, more doctor visits and a need for more expensive antibiotics. Resistant bacteria may even cause death.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Facts about child kidnapping
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on its Web site, says the largest number of missing children are "runaways," then "family abductions" then "lost, injured, or otherwise missing children." And finally, the smallest category, but the one in which the child is at greatest risk of injury or death, is "nonfamily abductions."
According to a 1997 study by the state Attorney General's Office, the Web site also says, "the murder of a child who is abducted ... is a rare event. There are estimated to be about 100 such incidents in the United States each year, less than one-half of 1 percent of the murders committed." However, "74 percent of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction."
Most parents decide to vaccinate their children after talking to him. For the small number who remain concerned, Buccholz urges them to reconsider.
For all the possible threats, the reality locally is that children younger than 14 have the lowest death rate of any population in King County. Forty-two children in that age group died in 2003, of 302,162 in the county, slightly more than 0.01 percent.
In other countries, child deaths are common, a tragic fact of life, said Rae Simpson, program director for parenting education and research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But advances in public health and law enforcement have helped America cut down the number of child deaths.
At the same time, Simpson said, that progress has created an unrealistic hope among parents that they can protect their children from any threat.
What statistics say
It's easy to worry about deadly viruses and kidnappings, but such cases are, in fact, rare. Take a look at Public Health — Seattle & King County's most recent statistics:
In 2003, the leading cause of death for children under age 14 was unintentional injuries. The largest number was related to car crashes. Drowning was next. Suffocation ranked third.
There were four homicides, but Tony Gomez, injury and violence-prevention manager for the county health department, said those were likely child-abuse cases.
Children do, rarely, get kidnapped, he said. But they are far more likely to get hit by a car, or drown in a hard current, or die from choking on a small object. These are deaths parents, and others, can prevent, he said. So Public Health regularly sends out warnings, urging use of car seats and life jackets, and teaching kids to take care while crossing the street. Above all else, Gomez said, close supervision is key.
With that in mind, some parents struggle to walk the fine line between supervising children and stifling them. Stories abound of parents staying up the entire night, staring at their newborn, terrified he will die from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Or parents of teenagers who rarely allow them to socialize unsupervised.
Karen Joslin, author of "Positive Parenting, A to Z," a guide for parents, said some adults overwhelm children with questions and rules, trying to protect them from possible threats, from bullies to drugs to sexual predators.
In the end, Joslin said, that can do more damage than good. It can create in children a debilitating kind of fear — that threats lurk around every corner.
"Children need to feel they have more control over their world," said Joslin, who coaches parents at Pediatric Associates in Bellevue.
This is why McNiesh, of Issaquah, tries her best to hide her anxiety from her children. At the Bellevue Square mall the other day, her toddler son wandered out of view four times in 10 minutes. The worry on McNiesh's face registered each time. But by the time she reached her son, she showed him a bright smile and a silly face.
"I want them to be confident, friendly, well-adjusted kids," she said. "I don't want them to be scaredy-cats."
Why anxieties are high
Parents have always worried about their children's welfare. But the anxiety has gotten more acute over the decades, said Simpson, of MIT.
She traced the phenomenon back to the 1970s, when there was an explosion of information about child abuse. In the past, she said, society saw children as strong and robust. But the rising awareness of abuse helped create the image of children as vulnerable and fragile, in need of protection from so many threats.
What followed was an avalanche of information and guidance, from self-help books to nightly news segments, feeding on parents' fear.
"It has taken a lot to create this level of anxiety," said Simpson. "It's going to take a lot to ease it."
Still, some anxiety can be a good thing. It keeps parents watchful, said McDaniels, of Parent Trust. It motivates parents to make plans, the kind of plans a child can follow when faced with danger.
For a toddler, it may be what to say when a stranger approaches. For an older child, it may be how to handle a street crossing with a crowd of friends. For a teenager, it may be what to do, and whom to call, if they find themselves drunk and unable to drive home.
But once those plans are made, and protective measures are put in place, experts say, parents must learn to let go. The message McDaniels sends out: Be vigilant, but don't get obsessed.
Reality check
While some parents worry about kidnapping and deadly
viruses, King County statistics show
children are much more likely to die from car crashes or drowning.
Child deaths
Ages 1-14:
42 deaths
total in 2003, the most
recent data available.
Leading causes:
15
unintentional injury deaths. Most common: motor vehicles, with children in car crashes, hit by a car while on a bike, hit by a car while walking.
Second leading cause: drowning. Third: suffocation (marbles, food, plastic bags).
8
deaths related to cancer.
4
homicides.
2
suicides.
Ages 15-24: 129 deaths
total in 2003.
50
unintentional injury deaths. Leading cause: motor vehicles, with kids as either passengers or drivers. Second leading cause: drowning.
22
suicides.
17
homicides.
7
deaths
related to heart disease.
5
deaths related to cancer.
Source: Public Health-Seattle & King County
"Use your anxiety, right up until the point that you've got all your ducks lined up in a row," McDaniels said. "Then dump it."
Easier said than done. In a society that stresses individual responsibility, parents are expected to play the role of their child's sole protectors. They deal with that pressure in different ways, experts say, finding reassurance in everything from online support groups to cellphones that can track their children's whereabouts.
Every year, Parent Trust fields about 5,000 calls through its Family Help Line, from young, first-time mothers to grandparents who have become guardians. Sometimes their concerns are calmed in a matter of minutes.
"It's amazing how something as simple as talking can relieve a lot of stress and fear," said Help Line director Margaret Edgar.
Using common sense
Ultimately, the best protection against anxiety, experts say, is preparation. Buy the bike helmet. Make the plan for parking-lot behavior. Arrange close supervision for your child in your absence.
"The more tools we give our children, the better parents feel," said Joslin.
As he sat watching his 4-year-old daughter on the indoor playground at the mall, Russ Michaels, 46, of North Bend, said he pays attention to the media reports and does what he can to protect his children. But as for real anxiety, he shrugged. Michaels prefers to go on common sense and instinct, getting support from family and friends.
"You watch them, and guide them through what you can," said Michaels, as his daughter clambered down a piece of playground equipment. "We'll all figure it out." |
