I think most of you are getting to the same point I make. We live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Land of the free, home of the brave. Or so that is how I was taught. Since when did the American dream include the government tell me how to raise my kids?? (Granted, I don't have any yet, but my parents raised me as they saw fit and I plan to do the same) I feel that its the parents job to decide what tasks a child is mature enough and trained enough to handle on their own. My dad never left us in the barn by ourselves until he thought we were A) able to do the right thing in the chance that something went wrong and B) our heifers were tame enough he trusted us with them. At the age of 11 and 9 my brother and I were riding our bikes the mile and a half to the show barn and doing ALL of the daily care ourselves. The day I turned 16 was the day Dad quit stepping foot in the show barn unless it was to check in on us and see what kind of progress we had made. My parents felt comfortable with that because they taught us to look both ways before we crossed the street, wear your helmets when you ride your bikes or you have to walk, and always make sure both of you are in the barn at all times. We were lucky as kids and the worst injury we had was my brother falling off the tractor and breaking his arm. Same thing can happen to a kid on the stairs. So is the government then going to tell me I can't have stairs in my house? I dread the day that Big Brother is actually watching, although I'm afraid we may already be there.
I think this is the time for 4-H/Extension, FFA, Farm Bureaus, etc. to step up to the plate and really promote the farm safety programs. Even make them an all school assembly. Why can't we teach farm safety to kids who aren't involved in large farm operations, but rather want to mow their grandparents grass with the fancy riding mower?? Shouldn't those kids know how to properly operate them, where not to stick their hands, and why you shouldn't point the mower at other people. Just a thought..