...and birth is no different. Most women perceive greater risks either with a trial of labor or surgery. This struck me again today while at our local gym play session, and where a sign reads, 'one child at a time on the trampoline'.
It's no exaggeration to say that every single time we go, parents do not adhere to this rule, allowing children to all jump randomly around the trampoline together. As one mother said to me today as our son waited his turn, "Don't worry. Everyone just piles on."
I thanked her, but said we'd rather wait in case of a head clash or similar...
As parents, we all make choices about all sorts of things related to our own and our children's wellbeing, and the chances are, whichever choices we make, things will probably turn out ok. I don't allow our children on a trampoline with other children, but I'm sure there are other things I allow that other parents might not.
And it's often this very individual perception of risk, our belief in the likelihood of catastrophe, and our tolerance of a 'worse case scenario', that help us to make these choices - which leads me to wonder why then, when parents are expecting a new baby, they are often treated as a homogenous group whose risk choices for the birth of their baby should all be the same?
1 comment:
I just stumbledupon your blog and read a few of your previous posts. They're exceptionally meaty and perfect for would-be parents like me. I would agree that being a parent is one of the toughest jobs on earth. After all, what your little kids would become reflects how you've raised them. Great share.
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