Why keep adult care foremost when discussing children in danger?

Children do not yet know how to judge many dangers, so adults need to watch out for them and provide care first. Even when we discuss blessings and receiving help from the perspective of faith, we cannot set aside protection that is available right now and wait until something happens before calling it a matter of luck.

YOYO and I once discussed a news story about a girl who fell from a building and was caught just in time. From the perspective of practice, we might reflect that this child perhaps had blessings. I also admired the person who reached out immediately to protect her without time to think. But after discussing that fortunate rescue, we still need to ask whether the family could have paid attention earlier and prevented the child from encountering that danger at all.

Examples include leaving a child inside a car while going to buy something, or failing to notice a child being alone and the condition of windows at home. We cannot overlook these things because we think it is ‘only for a moment.’ Children are curious and active but do not yet understand the consequences. Adults need to pay more attention and address risks that can be noticed in advance. These are forms of care we can provide every day.