Thai's Attitude To Their Children's Safety.

[Maigo6]

I took my 2 year old to the shops on my push bike today. She loved it - is this allowed?

No !

Shame on you

Then again, I guess it's safer than the Mazda.

Edited November 22, 2008 by Maigo6

[Misplaced]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

[Maigo6]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

They must be Thai's disguised as Farangs.

[mc2]

How many Expats here allow their kids into the back of their pick-up truck during Songkran when heaps of drunks are on the roads?

Expat kids should be locked up at home , Thailand is too dangerous for them.

[Misplaced]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

They must be Thai's disguised as Farangs.

This type of thread is like the classic conditioning of Pavlov's dog.....In this case, the op introduced negative/absurd thread to TV members while he/she sits back and watch as these fools chomping at the bit with even more pathetic comments.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Misplaced

[kmart]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

They must be Thai's disguised as Farangs.

This type of thread is like the classic conditioning of Pavlov's dog.....In this case, the op introduced negative/absurd thread to TV members while he/she sits back and watch as these fools chomping at the bit with even more pathetic comments.

Pavlov's dog was run over by a truck, driven by a drunken yaba addict. Thanks for chomping.

[Richb2004v2]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

If only I had a picture of the local schools at finish time. It would show scooters with 3 or 4 kids on without helmets, speeding out of the gate straight into the traffic, often in the wrong direction. As well as kids loitering on the edge of the busy road, and groups of kids walking 3 abreast along the highways towards home. We can only assume that neither the school authority's or parents do anything to stop any of this. Cultural I guess, and very different to unsupervised kids retrieving a ball from a busy road, which is of course also dangerous.

Whilst out on my mountain bike recently I came across a school as finishing time that had its entrance open onto a busy cross roads. It seemed to be a primary school on temple grounds as the very young kids were pouring out onto the busy road. No one was taking control of the situation or looking after the kids, even though there were a couple of adults there. Something you are unlikely to see in the west.

These comparisons between Thai lack of responsibility and western norms are quite ridiculous. It is obvious that it is impossible to control kids entirely, especially when away from the parents, but that is entirely different to nurturing irresponsible behavior in them at all times. I saw a women walking her very young child in one of those bicycle on a pole things the other day. She was walking it down the hard shoulder/narrow outer lane of a main road towards traffic. The same lane that is used by motorbikes to go in both directions and often cars, not to mention the heavy lorry's that use the road and are notorious for dangerous driving. She was effectively teaching the child from day one to act dangerously. This has nothing to do with money or even poor education and did not happen in the UK or USA in the 60s or 70s, even when we were driving our cars without seat belts.

Why can some not accept that Thailand is a dangerous place for children and it is made that way by the Thai adults that inhabit it. It would cost nothing to save countless lives in Thailand if its people could be made to see sense. What chance is there of that if the westerners here are not prepared to face facts.

Your kid could be killed in the UK, USA or Thailand. It could be hit by a car in any of these places, or it could drown or fall out of a tree. But the chances of it happening in Thailand have got to be much much greater as there is no inherent responsibility taken by Thai society. It is not Thai bashing to say that it really is a 'mai pen rai' attitude to overall safety not just of children. Its just unfortunate that they do not alter their 'mai pen rai' just because children are involved.

If westerners are so desperate to assimilate here and adopt this Thai attitude then I only hope their children have a lot of luck and are ready to grow up with the accident scares that so many Thais have.

[dumball]

Very well put , but time wasted on members who can only see Thailand as the perfect place , with perfect people who all know what they are doing at all times and mai-pen-rai to the rest of you obnoxious foreigners who have nothing else to do but complain . The best they can do is bring up silly arguments about other countries , or the best food in the world they feed their children , or how much they are family oriented and all such unrelated BS as it applies in THAILAND , the country they have chosen to become a native of , despite they are not truly wanted here in many cases .

I could go on , but all one gets is "the wall effect', an echo .

[HorseDoctor]

The lady I refer to , IN Thailand has a motorcycle and a cell phone. Solidly middle class I'd say and the point is she's not even paying full attention and using both hands, so economics has little to do with why she's subjecting her ( presumably) kids to danger. A fatalistic attitude toward life is more the culprit. I believe "My Pen Rai" is the term ?

Why would you say that ?

Could it be the reason that you seem to think 4 - 5 people on a motorcycle only happened in Thailand after ridiculously stating that you had been in many poor countries and never witnessed anything like it?

I can state catagorically that is absolute rubbish.

So now your trying to cover yourself by saying in your opinion she was middle class.

She hasn't the excuse of poverty to cover up exposing her children to extreme danger.

Consider this , please

Thais are just not the same as westeners. It's you that projects your mores upon them defending their actions when their actions are just..Thai .

Putting children in danger is OK here . Why argue so?

You lend crediblity the argument that Thais do not care about their children when you defend them so by western standards. Capeche? .

And by your own " Logic" ..why do you some spend so much time attacking when there's really have nothing to defend.. It's like you love Thailand and all things about it, so why even subject yourself to arguments that disagree? What's the point? Why are you online? Why not go outside and enjoy your life?

I belive you accused us Thai detractors of being " Mentally ill" may I suggest.....an alternative.

[lawangfarang]

even though i have had the exact same impression as most of you here on the Thai's attitude towards their childrens safety . I have actually experienced the completely opposite at an ocation!

My brother in law is a 12 year old, and he has just been let out on his own. until now he was brought to school everyday, and spent all his evenings at home. (over protective?)

i'd rather worry about my own children growing up in to this Internet cafe scheme. I think its rather alarming... or is it?

what is for the better? speeding on the 125cc or toasting yor brains at the internet cafe.

i just hope they wont end up like western kids..

[bob6023]

Ever gone to big C or lotus and seen and heard the thai children running amuk aroung the place or screaming kids in the push cart with the mother ignoring the screams ortheir kids running about like idiots.. total disregard for others.

how about the teenagers who ride 3 to a m/c no helmet ,making right hand turns from left lane with no regards for traffic. or riding 2 abreast in traffic while talking to each other, and even when you geek they won't move left. can they all be stoned?

Maybe the schools should show them movies of crushed and mangled bodies so they get it. No way should a 10 year old be allowed to ride a m/c. Of course the under paid cops don't care ,but the parents should.

It seems thais can't bring them selves to say no to a kid. they should learn how before its too late.

[koto]

roads are for driving on - pedestrians should keep off!

but that would be too sensible, I suppose...

Yo Bro Many roads are for the Buffalo, Bike, Trike, Feet, Car, Dog, Goat, Duck, one just needs to wake up and realize your driving a killing machine and should cha, cha slow up, unless your going to a fire and your a fire truck, many times that road is the only way to go, when your getting close to a Town or a Village expect to see many living things on the road and know that you can kill them if not on top of it

[thaibkk]

what about with a "family" with 2 adults, a baby and a child on one mothercycle

none of them wearing anything of protection ?

[barky]

The issue here is/was that many Thais seem to not take sufficient care of their child by way of being pro-active and by considering the dangerous possibile outcomes of a particular action, or non-action . A lack of diligence, due care, forethought, responsibility and even accountability not only for the child/children, but also seemingly totally uncaring about the consequences an event may have on another person (3rd party).

I used to be shocked, angry, annoyed, upset, bemused, staggered by many of the things I would consider brain dead behaviour on the part of the child/adolecent/parent/gardian.

But, increasingly, I switch off, look the other way. I just don't really care anymore, and why should I ?. They're not my kids. If the parent, gardian, government here in Thailand are not worried why should I be? They don't appreciate what they would see as interference anyway.

Just as long as I'm not inconvenienced and not directly involved with the issue, injury, mayhem or carnage etc.

I keep myself to myself. I just don't want to know anymore.

Next!

Edited November 23, 2008 by barky

[Chaimai]

<br />WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today is launching a drowning prevention campaign as part of an intensified initiative to prevent the tragic drowning of 250 children under the age of 5 annually in swimming pools. Among unintentional injuries, drowning has been the second leading cause of death to children under age 5, after motor vehicle incidents. In 2002, an estimated 1,600 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries. Many of these deaths and injuries occur in residential pools.<br /><br /><br />OK mouth, so how you gonna pay me ?<br /><br /><br />But of course , these things never happen outside Thailand do they. <br /><br />Your ignorance and racism know no bounds.<br /><br /><br />Before opening your pie hole, do some research, it ain't difficult and it will save you looking like an right pratt. <img src="style_emoticons/default/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

And you have stats for Thailand, go hok ?

Looks like smiling boy has retrieved his PC from the happy people

Edited November 23, 2008 by Chaimai

[Kaojai]

Just think of the state of the Thai gene pool now, or in a generation or two, if there weren't the number of people killed in avoidable stupid "accidents". Natural selection at work.

Protection of children and simple safety precautions are problems world-wide. Why not lament the problem and not turn it into a racist rant?

Nov 13th 2008

From The Economist print edition

The wrong lessons learnt, and another horrifying death

ON NOVEMBER 11th two men were found guilty at the Old Bailey of killing a 17-month-old boy known to the public only as Baby P. The toddler had a broken back, eight fractured ribs, a missing fingernail and toenail, multiple bruises and an ear almost torn off. What finally killed him on August 3rd 2007 was a blow to the head so severe that the postmortem found a tooth in his stomach.

The two men, one the mother’s boyfriend, the other a lodger, were found not guilty of murder. They will be sentenced on December 15th for “causing or allowing the death of a child”, an offence that was placed on the statute books in 2005 to stop those jointly culpable for a child’s death from avoiding punishment by blaming each other. Earlier, the baby’s mother had pleaded guilty to the same charge. The maximum sentence is 14 years.

Such horrors were supposed never to happen again, after a shake-up of child protection following the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié in 2000 by her guardians. Yet they did happen again, and in almost the same place. Baby P had been on the “at risk” register in Haringey, north London, since he landed in hospital with head injuries nine months before his death. Victoria had also been seen repeatedly by Haringey social workers, who had missed many chances to save her life.

A review of the government’s child services by Lord Laming after the Climbié case, published in 2003, placed some blame on the staff who had missed evidence of her abuse but more on failures of communication. Social, criminal and medical agencies did not know that she was an object of concern to them all. Lord Laming recommended that local children’s services be integrated and a national child database be set up. The government accepted both proposals: never again would a child slip between the inter-agency cracks.

At least, that was the idea. But Baby P was well known to the social services, and the summary of the internal review by Haringey itself, handed to the government this week, found “clear evidence of appropriate communication between and within agencies”. There was, however, plenty of evidence of individual incompetence. Two days before Baby P’s death a paediatrician failed to diagnose his broken back and fractured ribs, saying he was too “cranky” to be properly examined. Days earlier, a social worker had visited and found him smeared with chocolate and antiseptic cream, which covered the worst marks on his body. She fell for a tale of a skin infection and a recently eaten biscuit.

The case of Baby P shows that the belief that integrated services can make up for individual deficiencies is mistaken. It also calls into question the post-Climbié emphasis on data sharing. Everyone who saw Baby P was aware of the initial, incorrect assessment by social workers that his family was chaotic but loving, and no one realised the two guilty men had moved into the home. “New incidents were interpreted in terms of the existing understandings of the family dynamics,” said Haringey’s review. The government has ordered an independent review into child services in Haringey, and asked Lord Laming to look at child protection across Britain again.

[robbo1]

This has nothing to do with how Thai people bring up their children.

The Thai philosophy is: the worst hasn't happened yet, so why worry about it.

This is the general Thai viewpoint, not just for the purpose of safety regarding their children.

You are so right that Thais never seem to worry I remember after the Tsunami in2004 a friend of mine lost his taxi in phuket I phoned him just to say sorry about what happened he just said life goes on a good philosiphy sometimes

[robbo1]

Lets play ball in the street shall we? Make you wonder if these kids parents care\understand about their safety?

Yup.. it can happens only in Thailand.... Fools

If only I had a picture of the local schools at finish time. It would show scooters with 3 or 4 kids on without helmets, speeding out of the gate straight into the traffic, often in the wrong direction. As well as kids loitering on the edge of the busy road, and groups of kids walking 3 abreast along the highways towards home. We can only assume that neither the school authority's or parents do anything to stop any of this. Cultural I guess, and very different to unsupervised kids retrieving a ball from a busy road, which is of course also dangerous.

Whilst out on my mountain bike recently I came across a school as finishing time that had its entrance open onto a busy cross roads. It seemed to be a primary school on temple grounds as the very young kids were pouring out onto the busy road. No one was taking control of the situation or looking after the kids, even though there were a couple of adults there. Something you are unlikely to see in the west.

These comparisons between Thai lack of responsibility and western norms are quite ridiculous. It is obvious that it is impossible to control kids entirely, especially when away from the parents, but that is entirely different to nurturing irresponsible behavior in them at all times. I saw a women walking her very young child in one of those bicycle on a pole things the other day. She was walking it down the hard shoulder/narrow outer lane of a main road towards traffic. The same lane that is used by motorbikes to go in both directions and often cars, not to mention the heavy lorry's that use the road and are notorious for dangerous driving. She was effectively teaching the child from day one to act dangerously. This has nothing to do with money or even poor education and did not happen in the UK or USA in the 60s or 70s, even when we were driving our cars without seat belts.

Why can some not accept that Thailand is a dangerous place for children and it is made that way by the Thai adults that inhabit it. It would cost nothing to save countless lives in Thailand if its people could be made to see sense. What chance is there of that if the westerners here are not prepared to face facts.

Your kid could be killed in the UK, USA or Thailand. It could be hit by a car in any of these places, or it could drown or fall out of a tree. But the chances of it happening in Thailand have got to be much much greater as there is no inherent responsibility taken by Thai society. It is not Thai bashing to say that it really is a 'mai pen rai' attitude to overall safety not just of children. Its just unfortunate that they do not alter their 'mai pen rai' just because children are involved.

If westerners are so desperate to assimilate here and adopt this Thai attitude then I only hope their children have a lot of luck and are ready to grow up with the accident scares that so many Thais have.

Not all schools are lapse with there safety I saw a couple of schools near Chum Pare where one lane was coned off with school taxis lined up to pick the kids up

I thought it was great to see

[Ieyuhrah]

I do not think it is a matter of love but of culture, generational training, and the attention span of a child. That goes for anywhere. It is not just there that people (usually always over 14, here) do stupid road crossings. Every few weeks they show a report of someone(s) killed trying to cross an interstate. Most are within a quarter of a mile from an overpass. This last week a guy was hit at least three times on Interstate 30 between here & Dallas. They closed all 6 lanes for hours during the investigation. With closed alleys & no neighbood parks (wasted space where there must be more houses) I see children playing ball or blade hockey in the residential streets all the time. They know to move in a timely manner. Some just appear to cop an attitude & want to be a pain in the butt. Growing up over there we would disappear for hours into the mango orchards & 'jungle' behind our house and I was riding Dad's Vespa 150 by the time I was 12 (helmets were unseen most anywhere in 1965) but we still had safety awareness pounded into our brains. We also were obedient with the 'big & serious stuff'. I likewise know just how easily children may become distracted and loose sight of the situation. With ghosts in the dark, jorahkay in the roadside klongs, and a toffee in the sack, some car happening to move into the center lane is a non-factor. My song saleung worth.

[piewarmer]

I agree Mosha, A 3yo holding mums hand stepped backward in front of my truck, I nearly freaked out.

Mum just pulled him back in and kept talking to the food vendor.

One thing that puzzles me is the way Thai's park mororbikes, sticking out onto the traffic lane.

or even double parked, aren't they worried someone will take their motorbike out?

[t.s]

this baby was about 2 months old and you think she woyuld have accepted my lift,get a life sad man

how do you know? did you ask or were you too busy shouting at her as you drove by. smug git.

[t.s]

My g/f's 2 year old son drowned last year while she went into town to do the shopping.

Someone should have been looking after him (i.e. had responsibility for him) - they weren't, he fell in the pond. When someone took a break from drinking (it was Visakabucha day) they realised the boy was missing. sadly, too late to revive him by the time he was found.

Before Maigo6 says that "this could happen anywhere in world" - I agree, it could. It is just that it does not !!

doensn't it?

http://news.google.com/news?q=baby%20drown...sa=N&tab=wn

[F1fanatic]

This has nothing to do with how Thai people bring up their children.

The Thai philosophy is: the worst hasn't happened yet, so why worry about it.

This is the general Thai viewpoint, not just for the purpose of safety regarding their children.

You are so right that Thais never seem to worry I remember after the Tsunami in2004 a friend of mine lost his taxi in phuket I phoned him just to say sorry about what happened he just said life goes on a good philosiphy sometimes

It's only a good philosophy when something awful has happened to you (or could happen).

Not when it affects someone else.

[sonnyJ]

actually, roads were first invented before vehicles of any kind.

I might have missed this but the the roads in the most of The World are/were created by them whom pass through, no?

Well the Romans sure, have you ever tried to drive a that kind of road with a 4-wheeled vehicle? Will promise you it would have been a really bumpy ride. So somebody came and invented the fly pasts, even before the Romans.

What about Bangkok, it used to be a nice city full of khlongs, before any of us got here, but not so long time ago.

The children's safety, come on, look out to any street. Good topic though.

[benw10]

This has nothing to do with how Thai people bring up their children.

The Thai philosophy is: the worst hasn't happened yet, so why worry about it.

This is the general Thai viewpoint, not just for the purpose of safety regarding their children.

You are so right that Thais never seem to worry I remember after the Tsunami in2004 a friend of mine lost his taxi in phuket I phoned him just to say sorry about what happened he just said life goes on a good philosiphy sometimes

yes i hear that taxi was like a child to him!

[Richb2004v2]

This has nothing to do with how Thai people bring up their children.

The Thai philosophy is: the worst hasn't happened yet, so why worry about it.

This is the general Thai viewpoint, not just for the purpose of safety regarding their children.

You are so right that Thais never seem to worry I remember after the Tsunami in2004 a friend of mine lost his taxi in phuket I phoned him just to say sorry about what happened he just said life goes on a good philosiphy sometimes

yes i hear that taxi was like a child to him!

Very good

[lioness]

Thais most definately do love their children, family is everything. The problem I think is that they don't look at the potential threats to safety, probably because there is a lack of education, i.e. road safety .

etc. We would call it commonsense, but it seems to be missing here for whatever reason.

In my area it is the normal to see 8 year olds riding motorcycles, no helmets. I also got overtaken by a 9 or 10 year old driving an open 4wd when I was sitting on 80 km per hour on a major road.

The saddest thing I saw was in a hospital, the result of a motorcycle accident, Dad driving, mother holding 3 year old girl, the girls head was swollen up like a pumpkin and servere head injuries, she did not make it.

I do a lot of driving in Thailand, but do so carefully and always ready for the unexpected.

[meadish_sweetball]

People will keep taking the easiest way out until somebody who they respect challenges them for doing so, and they will start to see reason after a while. Thais are not different.

But if they don't truly respect the person speaking they will not listen.

[F1fanatic]

Thais most definately do love their children, family is everything. The problem I think is that they don't look at the potential threats to safety, probably because there is a lack of education, i.e. road safety .

etc. We would call it commonsense, but it seems to be missing here for whatever reason.

In my area it is the normal to see 8 year olds riding motorcycles, no helmets. I also got overtaken by a 9 or 10 year old driving an open 4wd when I was sitting on 80 km per hour on a major road.

The saddest thing I saw was in a hospital, the result of a motorcycle accident, Dad driving, mother holding 3 year old girl, the girls head was swollen up like a pumpkin and servere head injuries, she did not make it.

I do a lot of driving in Thailand, but do so carefully and always ready for the unexpected.

Family is everything, but in the totality, not the individual. Otherwise why would so many women let their children be brought up by the grandparents?

[lioness]

Thais most definately do love their children, family is everything. The problem I think is that they don't look at the potential threats to safety, probably because there is a lack of education, i.e. road safety .

etc. We would call it commonsense, but it seems to be missing here for whatever reason.

In my area it is the normal to see 8 year olds riding motorcycles, no helmets. I also got overtaken by a 9 or 10 year old driving an open 4wd when I was sitting on 80 km per hour on a major road.

The saddest thing I saw was in a hospital, the result of a motorcycle accident, Dad driving, mother holding 3 year old girl, the girls head was swollen up like a pumpkin and servere head injuries, she did not make it.

I do a lot of driving in Thailand, but do so carefully and always ready for the unexpected.

Family is everything, but in the totality, not the individual. Otherwise why would so many women let their children be brought up by the grandparents?

Some parents don't have a choice, the grandparents take care of the children while the parent/s works to support them and sends money home. It is not abandonment, it is to support the child or children. Thai children are generally not raised just with parents in the house, usually there will be other family there so the children are theoratically raised in an extended family, should mum or mum and Dad have to go away to work it is not the end of the world, the child is still in his familiar surroundings, with family who love them, feed them and take care of them.

This happens in many native cultures although not necessarily for the same reasons.