Blog Post

A colleague of mine was all set to write this Mother’s Day blog. She had her first child three months ago - a beautiful healthy baby boy - and was excited to share her thoughts on her first Mother’s Day. But then the reality of being a brand new mom set in - sleep deprived, new routines, all the standard questions like “When do they start sleeping through the night?"

Have you ever seen a bike train? Picture lots of excited little kids perched on bicycles, scooters, skateboards and anything else with wheels, anxiously awaiting a signal from a parent or teacher to start pedaling and rolling to school.

Once kids take their first steps, they can't wait to keep going. But when it comes to walking to the park or school along roads, it can be a challenge for kids to safely get to where they need to go.

This week marks the second annual United Nations Global Road Safety Week and an important opportunity to highlight how to keep kids safe on roads.

I was in a 7-by-10-foot room in Coyoacán, Mexico City, when Paco saw the tweet.

“A child was hit by a car in Mexico City this morning,” he announced, and I heard the combination of frustration, sorrow and exhaustion in his voice.

Car seat...Check.
Crib with no bumpers...Check.
Diapers, wipes, cute clothes...Check, check, check.
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that work…Check (of course).

Pop quiz. Who do you think are the best advocates for child safety issues?   a) Pediatricians; b) Elected Officials; c) Teachers; d) Parents?  The answer is: e - none of the above.

That’s right. While many of these groups work hard for children, peer-for-peer advocacy, or kids lobbying on behalf of kids, can actually have the biggest impact of all.

Sometimes it takes traveling more than 7,000 miles to get a fresh perspective on something you’ve been doing for more than 25 years. That’s what happened to me in December when my colleague, Alexis Kagiliery, and I traveled to Doha, Qatar to conduct a technician certification.

Albert Einstein once said that “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results” is not consistent with good mental health.  But here we are eight days before the fiscal cliff kicks in, just as we sat on the cliff on New Year’s Day.