We see plenty of cute kids on TV or online, singing, dancing or performing. And it's so tempting to get our own kids to mimic these acts. But why you should not do this has been highlighted by a recent incident of a toddler injured by backflip her father asked her to perform.
The Chinese father tried to make his two-year-old copy the stunt he saw online. However, what happened was this headline that was widely reported by local televisions stations: toddler injured by backflip her dad asked her to perform.
Stunt leaves toddler injured by backflip
In the clip, he noticed a girl grabbing a man's hand and attempting a backward somersault in the air.
Inspired, he attempted the same with his own daughter. But the stunt backfired and the father ended up with his toddler injured by backflip stunt tricks gone wrong.
He then reportedly rushed her to the Wuhan Children's Hospital. Dr Wu Ji who works at the hospital told Hubei Television that the two-year-old was in a serious condition when brought in and was unable to move her body.
Toddler injured by backflip cannot move her body
"She couldn't move her entire body, especially her two upper limbs. Her lower limbs didn't have strength in the muscles either," he told Hubei Television.
Although he did not reveal if the girl will recover completely, he did ask parents to avoid copying dangerous stunts with kids at home because kids are extremely fragile.
"If you grab her arms too loosely, [the child] will fall on her head, but if you grab too tightly, it will cause elbow dislocation,” Dr Ji said.
Children have fragile bodies that shouldn't be flung around for fun. However, that doesn't mean they cannot participate in physical sports. The significance of sports for children can't be underestimated.
Kids and sports go hand-in-hand
Games are an awesome route for youngsters to learn fundamental life attitudes that will serve them in later life. For example, collaboration and cooperation are valuable lessons learned in team sports. There are countless more advantages for youngsters who take part in sports.
Sangeeta Vijayasimha, child and parenting psychologist at ePsyClinic.com, India, explains, "Kids who tune in group activities will create and reinforce their social aptitudes while figuring out how to get friendly with their fellow team members. Frequently group activities help children build competitive spirit in a healthy manner and come to comprehend essential ideas like thankfulness and admiration for others."
As a part of a group, youngsters can build their problem solving abilities, develop self-discipline, and become critical thinkers. Plus, they will have chance to figure out how to adapt to dissatisfaction and become gracious winners. Engaging in sports teaches the lessons of both triumph and failure.
While sports is beneficial, parents must not force stunts onto kids, as this father did. Instead, you must carefully assess your child's interests and abilities and encourage them accordingly. Most importantly, make safety a priority.
Sports safety tips all parents must know
- Ask your kids to always wear protective gear such as helmets, mouth guards, and protective pads. They should especially follow this rule in high-intensity sports such as cricket, soccer, baseball and hockey.
- Have them warm up and cool down before and after each sport. This protects them against muscle injuries.
- Teach them the rules of the game. Sometimes kids can become quite competitive and therefore, engage in violent play. So set the rules before they head out to play.
- Keep a close watch on them and ask them not to perform any dangerous stunts unsupervised.
- Assist them in case of injuries. It is normal for kids to get injured and therefore, assist them with basic medical aid and physically support them, if need be.
Sources: Today Online, South China Morning Post
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Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore