What’s with people getting angry that kids are in carseats longer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

OP did not say her child would be in a high back booster until he was 12. She said in the back seat in some type of booster. Learn how to read.

My 10 year old is still in a booster. Not in a high back booster, just a regular one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

I didn’t say my 11-year-old will be in a backed booster. I said my 7-year-old is and both my kids will be in boosters until they are at the correct age/height for the seatbelt to not hit them across the neck. I’m sure in the next few years my youngest will get the backed booster and my oldest will graduate to the regular CostCo booster.

You said "some kind of booster" which obviously includes a high back one. Your kid is 7. Just you wait.

Yes, you are right. “Some kind of booster” does include backed boosters. But it also includes backless boosters. So to assume I will force my preteen into a backed harness booster is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

OP did not say her child would be in a high back booster until he was 12. She said in the back seat in some type of booster. Learn how to read.

My 10 year old is still in a booster. Not in a high back booster, just a regular one.

Possibly they suffered too many head injuries from smacking their heads into the dashboard as a child.

It’s unfortunately affected their reading comprehension skills. So sad. A fate I’d like to protect my own from.

[Anonymous]

My parents/ILs get annoyed about the car seats because it means they can't drive my kids place unless they have a car seat for them. And car seats, unlike boosters, are harder to install and uninstall on a whim.

But I want my kids in car seats and, also, it's a bonus to me that it means that my parents/ILs don't drive them places because I actually don't trust them very well as drivers and would much rather just drive myself. The grandparents are welcome to ride with us for extra time with the kids.

They complain and I say stuff like "that's how it is now" or "yeah, it's crazy how much this stuff changes from generation to generation" and then just shrug and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents/ILs get annoyed about the car seats because it means they can't drive my kids place unless they have a car seat for them. And car seats, unlike boosters, are harder to install and uninstall on a whim.

But I want my kids in car seats and, also, it's a bonus to me that it means that my parents/ILs don't drive them places because I actually don't trust them very well as drivers and would much rather just drive myself. The grandparents are welcome to ride with us for extra time with the kids.

They complain and I say stuff like "that's how it is now" or "yeah, it's crazy how much this stuff changes from generation to generation" and then just shrug and move on.

I trust my stepmom and MIL as much as I trust myself thankfully. They’re both educators and a bit younger than their husbands. I just get tired of the comments from my dad and FIL.

I don’t want to punish the matriarchs because their husbands can’t hold their tongues. And even though they butch they’ll always allow the carseats and have me do a second check as far as buckling goes. I think deep down they really care and get worried too, but they have to let me know they *think* it’s silly.

[Anonymous]

I don’t care what you do, OP, but you have your height incorrect. It’s 4’9” not 4’11”
My child’s booster (backless) was only safe for use up to 57” and 100 lbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

OP did not say her child would be in a high back booster until he was 12. She said in the back seat in some type of booster. Learn how to read.

My 10 year old is still in a booster. Not in a high back booster, just a regular one.

Some type of booster includes all boosters. The meaning is clear, if you know how to read. Even you know how ridiculous the idea of an older kid like that in a high back booster. OP sounds like one of those annoying toddler moms who knows her kid will never be on screens. Or eat processed foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

OP did not say her child would be in a high back booster until he was 12. She said in the back seat in some type of booster. Learn how to read.

My 10 year old is still in a booster. Not in a high back booster, just a regular one.

Some type of booster includes all boosters. The meaning is clear, if you know how to read. Even you know how ridiculous the idea of an older kid like that in a high back booster. OP sounds like one of those annoying toddler moms who knows her kid will never be on screens. Or eat processed foods.

Just got done watching X-Men while eating our Happy Meals actually. Not sure why you assumed I’m this overprotective crunchy Mom because I value car safety.

But since we’re making assumptions here, you sound like someone whose kids won’t make it to 16.

[Anonymous]

I'm considered old on dcum (late 50s) and I don't care.

It's usually the conservative "nanny state" people who are really bothered by safety considerations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have yet to see an 11 year old in a high back booster. Good luck with that.

OP did not say her child would be in a high back booster until he was 12. She said in the back seat in some type of booster. Learn how to read.

My 10 year old is still in a booster. Not in a high back booster, just a regular one.

Some type of booster includes all boosters. The meaning is clear, if you know how to read. Even you know how ridiculous the idea of an older kid like that in a high back booster. OP sounds like one of those annoying toddler moms who knows her kid will never be on screens. Or eat processed foods.

Just got done watching X-Men while eating our Happy Meals actually. Not sure why you assumed I’m this overprotective crunchy Mom because I value car safety.

But since we’re making assumptions here, you sound like someone whose kids won’t make it to 16.

You don't value car safety more. You just can't get along with the older men in your life and are imagining all this hostility when the fact of the matter is after about 8 or 9 nobody is talking about kids and booster seats anymore. It's not a thing. But you've conjured up that this is a thing because the people you're related to are judging you. This is a problem you're experiencing, not some universal problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents/ILs get annoyed about the car seats because it means they can't drive my kids place unless they have a car seat for them. And car seats, unlike boosters, are harder to install and uninstall on a whim.

But I want my kids in car seats and, also, it's a bonus to me that it means that my parents/ILs don't drive them places because I actually don't trust them very well as drivers and would much rather just drive myself. The grandparents are welcome to ride with us for extra time with the kids.

They complain and I say stuff like "that's how it is now" or "yeah, it's crazy how much this stuff changes from generation to generation" and then just shrug and move on.

I trust my stepmom and MIL as much as I trust myself thankfully. They’re both educators and a bit younger than their husbands. I just get tired of the comments from my dad and FIL.

I don’t want to punish the matriarchs because their husbands can’t hold their tongues. And even though they butch they’ll always allow the carseats and have me do a second check as far as buckling goes. I think deep down they really care and get worried too, but they have to let me know they *think* it’s silly.

Your dad and FIL are complaining because installing car seats is annoying and makes every outing take a million years to get set up. I don’t own a car and I cannot wait for the day borrowing one doesn’t require like five hands to set up car seats and figure out where this particular car/car seat combo needs to hook in. My oldest does get violently carsick so I also look forward to not having to hose down a car seat after every trip. That doesn’t mean I’m going to move them out of car seats against medical advice but it does mean I’m a bit cranky about handling car seats. Fortunately both my kids are big for their ages so we’ll probably be done with the really complicated to carry/install seats sooner rather than later. Your relatives are complaining about doing more work than they expected to take the kids out. If they’re actually safe about it, just keep saying these are the rules these days and don’t worry about it.

As for bike helmets, my 80-year-old mother is the he most fanatic helmet person I know so I don’t think disliking helmets is an inherently old person thing…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen a lot of anger and animosity from (mostly) older folks regarding current guidelines for child passenger safety.

My 3.5-year-old is rear-facing carseat and my 7-year-old is in a backed booster with a harness. For some reason my father and father-in-law are extremely bothered by this. When I told my dad that both boys will be in some type of booster in the back seat until they’re 4’11” or 12 (whichever comes first) his head spun and he let out a guttural groan like he had been punched in the stomach.

We follow the recommendations of the NHTSA, CDC’s Child Passenger Safety and our pediatricians office. I don’t see a reason not to? My kids have never complained. They are always comfortable. They’re petite for their age and aren’t prone to car sickness so thank God I don’t have to worry about queasiness with the rear facing. They both will fall asleep in the car if the drive is longer than 30 minutes and so I don’t have to worry about them slumping over. Their peers are in similar carseats and booster seats and the older has never mentioned being embarrassed. Why not? Car accidents and guns are the two leading cause of deaths for children under 16 and I really have very little control about either but if I can give my children a decreased chance of serious injury or death in the event of a car accident why not?

So many older people seem to have survivors bias about it all.

“Back in my day we just sat in the back of the car and we turned out fine!” Well, I’m sure many didn’t and I don’t think car fatalities were nearly as common in the 1950s.

Same thing with helmets. Drives my dad crazy! “You never wore a helmet growing up and you were fine!”

Yeah. Thank God I didn’t crash and hit my head. I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you because I could’ve had a TBI. My kids gonna wear a helmet. Why on earth would they not? So they can look cooler to a bunch of 65-year-old men?

And I’ve seen ads for carseats and booster seats on social media and the comments are similar (yes, I know Facebook comments are always going to be the worst humanity has to offer). But there are so many people actually ANGRY that a 8-year-old is in a booster. Like angry and throwing out wild theories, “they’re trying to make our kids soft!” “This is why men can’t be men anymore!!” Just true insanity.

Why on earth does decreasing the chances of your kid being seriously injured or killed seem to trigger an entire generation?

Because they’re still little. Your oldest is 7? When he’s in 4th grade, get back to us and let us know how he feels about climbing into a booster seat in front of his friends from school.

[Anonymous]

I'm not angry in the least about what people do in their own cars. It does annoy me when my SIL insists my niece (age 11, but concededly very petite for her age) cannot go anywhere except to the house from the airport when we visit my in laws due to lack of a booster. Just bring or buy one, we don't want to be stuck at home!

[Anonymous]

OP— why do you care about what other people think?? I sit in a booster when I drive and I’m 47. Do what you need to do and get in with your life!

[Anonymous]

Honestly I wish I could sit in a rear facing seat as an adult! It would be a great way to get away from it all on car trips.