I read random blogs a lot, especially ones mentioned or promoted by friends on Facebook. One in particular last year caught my attention. That is an understatement; it broke my heart and I still cannot shake what I read.
It was written by a mother of three children who slept in one weekend morning and awoke to find her only daughter dead. The little girl had pulled her dresser over on her and no one in the house heard it; they were all asleep, and it happened so suddenly. The mother was writing on the eight year anniversary of the tragedy and still urges all readers, all parents, anyone who is in contact with a child, to secure all furniture. It sounds simple enough; it sounds like one of those “duh” moments but who really does that? When we put together our bookcases and dressers, they come with straps for securing them to the wall for the purpose of not being able to pull them over on someone. Have we ever secured any piece of our furniture? The answer was no, we had not. We needed to. So do you.
Yes, a freak accident took the life of her preschooler. A freak accident that could have been prevented that most parents do not even think of. Sadly, those parents, like myself, think of it and still do not seem to find the time to do it. I cannot imagine ever burying my child. It goes against nature. We as parents are supposed to protect our children and that includes making sure their environment is safe.
Not long after reading that precious mother’s words, my husband and I secured every piece of furniture in our childrens’ rooms. I ordered the straps immediately after reading that mother’s blog and the following weekend we went to work.
This knowledge won’t bring her baby back, but it can definitely save the life of countless others, maybe even mine.