Last week, six major companies including Target and IKEA recalled window blinds due to the potential danger of child strangulation. The cords of standard pull blinds, according to the recall, can become hazards for young children playing with them. Instead, families are urged to purchase the more expensive cordless blinds for their windows to avoid the chance that their children will become entangled. But let’s be honest for a second: the blinds are not the real culprits here.
In my opinion, families should learn how to manage their children. Instead of complaining about how poorly manufactured the window blinds are, why don’t you just pay attention to your children while they are playing? When I was little, I knew better than to touch something that I was not supposed to. When I was too young to understand, my mom watched me like a hawk and kept me away from things that could pose a danger. I wasn’t allowed to sit in a room without supervision or allowed to just “roam free” through my house. I know everyone does not parent the same, and all families are different, but can you really just pass everything off on the blinds?
Yes, I’m sure little kids can just pull on cords that dangle, but an easier fix is noticing that, hey, maybe you should watch your kids better. Maybe you could invest in a hook high on the wall to hang the cord from. Maybe only place blinds in rooms that are frequently used and easily visible. Or hey, if you do have a child that just does not listen, maybe you should work on some old fashioned stern punishment rather than punishing the blind companies.
Frankly, I am a huge advocate for parental responsibility. Since April 2008, I have been a godparent, and I know that when my godson gets into something on my watch it is ultimately my fault. He loves to touch anything and everything, but that doesn’t mean I can be excused for him getting hurt. So stop blaming other people and take some blame on yourself. Maybe, yes, blinds could be recreated to not have hanging cords, but isn’t that just going to let your child move on to the next thing? So take a little lesson in parenting 101: stop blaming the blinds.
