Things Jerry says #3 – the little traffic conductor
Things Jerry says – the little traffic conductor
We have been teaching the kid about traffic lights since a long time ago.. when he was still in the stroller and I used to push him around everywhere. I believe in empowering him with the knowledge from young so he doesn’t run across traffic lights and know the basic traffic rules, right from the moment he understands me. I’m paranoid that way. Part of the reason is that i used to have a really really smart classmate in primary school and one day, he didn’t check for the cars while crossing and got hit. He was in coma for months and when he got out of it, he is never the same again and the lesson stayed with me for life. (sorry, being a little emo here!)
So recently, this little one is irritating the hell outta me in car rides.
J: mummy! It’s red light! Papa stop the car!!
Me: yes, that’s correct jerry!
*lights turns green, but we are still waiting for the cars in front to move off*
J: mummy!!!! Papa!!! It’s green light already eh!! It’s green light already!! Can go!!! Papa can go!!
Me: Jerry… there are cars in front. Didn’t mummy say you have to look at the traffic, watch out for the cars first? There is a bus right in front, if papa drives the car forward, we’ll bang the bus!
J: mummy! The bus moves already!!!!
Me: *sighs*
(rinse and repeat and every single junction)
Do you start teaching your kids about traffic rules since young? and how young do you start? I started when Jerry is about 18 months? Do share your experience if you have started teaching your kids about traffic rules too!
Meanwhile, here’s some basic and well-enforced “traffic rules” of mine. If you are planning to start, you could use this list as reference! You’re welcome.
1. No running in the carpark. Always hold mummy’s/papa’s/whoever’s hand while in the carpark.
2. No running on the road. Always hold hands.
3. Watch out for the Green man. Green man means you can walk. Red man means you cannot cross
4. Wait for the cars to stop even though the Green man is on. Check for cars – look left, look right, and look left again before crossing.
5. No talking while crossing the road. Pay attention to the cars around you.
6. No running when there are cars in sight! (I use this mainly for pavements or roadside because im worried the kid might just dash out to the road)
I also make it a point to describe to the kid what happens if he get knocked by a car – it would be very very painful, he will break his bones and likely end up in the hospital and may possibly die and not see mama/papa anymore. Morbid I know, but i guess the truth works? While i try not to instill fear in my kids, this is one exception for me. I do what it takes to eliminate the chance of potentially losing them forever.
p.s. if you have enjoyed this post, do check out the rest of the my “Things Jerry Says” series.
Cherie
Hi there! Thanks for popping by. I'm Cherie, a ftwm (full-time working mum) to 3 lovely kids (2 boys & a princess) and my motto in life is to BE HAPPY. Sure, life isn't all that smooth but it's the mentality that counts, no? This blog documents my life. Or rather, snippets of my life that has passed me by. I love capturing life memories in the blog and being able to read back and laugh at myself (or anyone). I love to eat (A LOT), travel and paint my own nails so the blog is mostly about that. Is that considered lifestyle? Of cos, the family is also very much an integral part of me so there would be loads of memories about the husband and my kids - Jerry (9yo), Jerome (7yo) and Leia (2.5yo) and everyone else that's close to me. I like documenting the kids' milestones, their growing up years, their achievements (and sometimes, mine), and my struggles and battles with motherhood. It sure ain't easy. I love seeking out good food and travelling, is trigger-happy, love new gadgets, love exploring new places and strives to live life to the fullest. I aspire to travel the world as much as I can, to soak in the different sights across the various continents and visit all the Disneylands in the world (almost there!). Have fun reading and do drop me a comment to say hi! Love, Cherie Lim Find me on Instagram.
6 Comments
Clara
We get the kids to raise their arm when crossing the road (to increase driver’s visibility of the kids’ petite frame).
We started this with korkor since he was 1.5 years old. He now automatically raises his arm whenever we cross – regardless big road or small crossing.
We present the scenarios of hospital/ blood and death too – it’s a very real consequence that we need the kids to know.
When korkor was just 3, he almost got knocked down by a car when he dashed onto the road in one of his tantrums. I cried from shock and told him “if you get knocked down by the car and die, Mommy/ Daddy will be very, very sad.” I think the message got through.
Cherie
Hi Clara,
Oh! I totally forgot about the raise hand thing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reminding me about it. Hopefully our efforts go a long long way.
Tracey
I think traffic safety is an important thing to teach your child at any age. I, like you, began teaching my kids at a very young age and now that they are teenagers, I still have to remind them to look before crossing the roads. When teaching them to cross at a stop sign or crosswalk where waiting traffic is, I also have them look at the drivers and try to make eye contact if possible before crossing in front of them. If the drivers see them, they are less likely to get distracted and automatically hit the gas when the light turns even if my kids are still crossing. Our son was hit by a truck in a crosswalk on the first day of school when he was in the 6th grade, luckily he only sustained a few broken bones that healed. Traffic safety cannot be stressed enough by all parents, even if we think we are being pushy. Good job on teaching your little one!
Cherie
Hi Tracey,
Thank you for sharing! I really love the idea about eye-contact. I actually do that subconsciously when I cross the roads myself but it didn’t occur to me that I ought to teach that too! Sometimes, its just second nature to us and we expect the same for the kids. Thank you for pointing that out to me. Love it.
🙂
Allan
Cherie, its good to impart traffic rules to kids so that they are aware of the environment that they are living in..
http://www.childrenstrafficclub.com/ is what they have in UK, so when a child turns 3, they will start sending (FREE) a mini series of books every quarterly (or something like that) that will “propogate” into the minds of the young ones, some general rules and what to and not to do…
I think its a very good idea to start them on the rules at a young age, especially that is the age when they will run, wander and explore their world.
Singapore has got a Road Safety Park which is totally cool, I rem learning to be responsible, as a motorist, cyclist and pedestrian, all by really role playing… IT was fanatastic fun for a child… however going to road safety park at age 7 or 10 is a bit too late if parents were to wait for school to teach…
So Kudos!!! well done!
Cherie
Hey allan,
UK is so darn cool. I like how they start at 3. I totally agree with you that while the road safety park we have is really cool, its really meant for the older kids. Jerry wouldn’t have fit in there and i think i am paranoid about traffic (or peeved about jaywalkers here) and my own experience really triggered me to start young. Guess they are never too young to start!
🙂