It's Not My Fault

While watching the news recently, I was once again reminded of how so few ever take responsibility for their own actions, accidents, mishaps, etc.  They are so quick to blame others.

Whenever something seems to happen to the average person – it must be someone else’s fault.  It can’t be just an accident, their own carelessness, nonchalant attitudes, irresponsibility, or even (sorry to say) their own stupidity!

The news headline was as follows:

Parents are being urged to keep laundry detergent packets out of reach of young children after several children have been sickened nationwide.

“Some young children and toddlers who swallow these small packets have become very ill and have required hospitalization,” said the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Stating that the detergent packets looked very similar to “candy” and that was the reason all these innocent young children are being rushed to the ER made headlines across the country.

REALLY?

 

Do I need to read the news to be urged to keep dangerous items away from my young children?

Children are known to put almost anything in their mouths – whether they resemble candy or not.  I remember many times grabbing my child with the loud, “What’s in your mouth?” followed by probing my fingers into a slimy, gagging mouth to remove the mystery snack.

But – as I removed these items, I didn’t then look on the label of the product to find the contact info for my upcoming lawsuit.

I am the parent!  Isn’t it my place to “baby proof” my home?  Isn’t it my place to make sure any dangerous items (causing physical injury or poison) are put out of reach?  Isn’t it my responsibility to keep an eye on my child as they are playing, running around, climbing and whatever else they are doing?

I’m not saying that my children were never hurt or never ended up sick due to that “split second” incident.  Accidents do happen - we do sometimes turn our heads and in a blink-of-an-eye children decide to snack on the dust balls, fallen bobbie pins, a penny, or whatever else they happen upon.

I started remembering the many other headlines that always amazed me. 

There’s tons of discussions lately on Childhood Obesity.

According to a survey of parents by ACNielsen:

·        Only 1% of parents blamed manufactures

·        7% blamed advertising on TV, etc.

·        9% blamed the child

·        10% blamed fast food companies

REALLY?

Headlines – once again:

McDonald’s Threatened with Lawsuit

 

McDonald’s has once again been threatened with a lawsuit. The movie Super Size Me interviewed lawyers who had brought lawsuits against McDonald’s on behalf of parents of obese children. When one lawyer was asked why he was suing McDonald’s, he replied, “You mean, other than the monetary gain? You want to hear a noble reason? Ummmm….” We never do hear the rest of this lawyer’s reply. It was edited out.

I knew it was my responsibility to be sure my children ate balanced, healthy meals and snacks each day.  When they were young – I had total control over this – instilling healthy eating habits while they were still in my care.  As a treat, we would go out to a fast food restaurant, and yes, eat the less than healthy lunch or dinner, without veggies, heavy in fat, yet oh so yummy!  And of course there was the surprise toy inside!

They knew this wasn’t the healthy choice, but rather a treat once in awhile and not our regular diet.

“10% blamed fast food companies.”  Who drove their car to the fast food establishment?  Who ordered the fast food?  Who paid for the fast food?  And, of course, who fed the fast food to their child?

Once our children are out on their own, not in our constant care, of course they may make poor decisions – but hopefully we have already taught them the importance of taking care of their health and only occasionally treating themselves to “junk food.”  Most likely, if we made sure their diet was healthy as young children, there is a much less chance for obesity as they step well into their teens and adulthood.

 Oh – one of my favorites:

A McDonald's drive-thru customer who suffered burns on her thigh from hot coffee she ordered is suing the restaurant, claiming the coffee was too hot.

Liebeck placed the cup between her knees and attempted to remove the plastic lid from the cup. As she removed the lid, the entire contents of the cup spilled into her lap.

REALLY?

If this is really a problem – then maybe she needs a cup holder installed in her car instead of using her knees – especially for the times she orders “hot” coffee rather than iced-coffee.

And more . . .

There was the case where a man sued a driver for running him over as he was trying to steal the driver's hubcaps?  And the woman who sued a nightclub because she fell and was injured while she was trying to sneak in the back window?

Sally Stewart was shopping one day in Reeds Spring, a small city near Branson, MO, when she tripped on a pothole. She sued the folksy, neighborly small town, which consequently filed for bankruptcy when they didn't have enough money to pay her award.

Oh, and let’s not forget . . .

The workman set up a ladder with its base in some frozen manure, and as the heat of the day kicked in, his ladder slipped in the now less-frozen manure, and he fell and hurt himself.  He then sued the ladder company - maybe they should have put a warning label about manure.




There was also a man in California that was using a public telephone booth to place a call. An alleged drunk driver careened down the street, lost control of his car and crashed into a phone booth. Now, it's no surprise that the injured man sued. But you might be startled to hear whom he sued along with the drunk driver: The telephone company!"

I think you’ll agree that it’s not up for debate whether our country has fallen victim to lawsuit mania.  Unfortunately, the debate continues as to whether our country should enable the millions of people to blame others, not take responsibility, and get paid (big time) for their own actions – accidental or otherwise.

“It’s not my fault” – a statement said immediately to most parents everyday from kids when caught doing something they know is wrong.  Or a statement said for the opportunity to push blame elsewhere and maybe even result in a big payout!