Complete disregard for safety

[Fortuna]

I've been working on the exercises in the 'Inner Child Workbook' recently. So I'm starting to piece some memories together in an analytical way rather than chronological and I've remembered a couple of just weird levels of neglect for my safety.

When I was a toddler, according to my mom, she would leave me sleeping to drop my dad off at work. I goggle mapped the sucker and it would have easily been 20 minutes round trip and save my dad less than 7 minute via the bus. Apparently it was more convenient to leave me sleeping. ( I know I've still got some FOG left because it keep thinking of erasing this because its not that big of a deal, even though I would do that with my kids.)

When visiting my grandparents my mom would do this weird thing where she would make sure to look me in the eye and tell me the Fan is in the doorway. they was supposed to keep me from going into the doorway if I was sleepwalking because the box fan was in the doorway. The thing was it wasn't just because she was worried I'd trip over it, it was because the entire back of the fan had come off and the blades were completely open, facing where I slept, so if I missed by a couple inches, the blades would go 300 rpms at my toes. (I'm trying to remember if it was the type with plastic blades or the older ones with steel blades.)  A new fan with a safe back would have been like $15.

I know parenting was a bit more loosey goosy wen I was a kid, but some days I am amazed I made it out alive and in one piece. I keep thinking about all the others there that could have noticed, could have said something, could have chosen to do it in a safer manner. And these are the memories that stick out.

[Poison Ivy]

Scary! I think there's a difference between safety standards and recommendations that have changed over time (e.g., seatbelt laws, carseat laws, cosleeping recommendations) and common sense (e.g., fans without backs).

[SparkStillLit]

I have insane safety stories that make me glad to be alive, too. Zero common sense. Don't inconvenience them.

[clara]

   I still get anxious just thinking about some of the things I did when I was a kid, some of which I had to do because my mother (who was a SAHM) couldn't be bothered.  I was walking home from kindergarten by myself because my mother couldn't put herself out to walk to the school to get me.  Things like that went on all through my childhood and yet my mother was the first one to criticize other moms whose children had something bad happen to them because "they just didn't care."  Talk about projection!

[IRedW77]

I actually ended up in a lot more danger because my mom didn't want to deal with doing things for me herself.

I used to spend tons of time with my best friend and his two alcoholic parents because she didn't want a turn watching us. 

When they went out they'd leave his baby brother locked in an upstairs bedroom.
I remember telling his mom once that his brother had a dirty diaper. He was probably 2 and I was probably 4 or 5. She yelled "then you can change it!" I never said anything about dirty diapers again.

He was a mess himself and got me into all kinds of trouble. The only reason we stopped playing on the icebergs in the river is because I fell and got a bloody nose. I still remember his dad putting iodine on me and telling his son "look, he's not crying, he's not a little pu*** like you".

His dad used to drunk drive us to elementary school every morning. I remember we never had seatbelts, but for some reason they always made sure that the car doors were locked.

I had a fight with him over something and his dad stopped driving to school anymore. My mom was REALLY mad at me over that.

Let's see,  7 year old kids have a fight and his alcoholic parents disown his friend on his behalf. My mom berated ME over this. The funny part is that I felt really bad about it, but instantly started being in less daily mortal danger.