Young Children: Child Development (cont.) In this Article How
can parents ensure the safety of their young children 6-8 years
of age? For the 6- to 8-year-old child, parents have a primary
obligation of providing an emotional safety net for an often
turbulent period. Reinforcing that the love and respect they
have for the child is not dependent upon academic, athletic, or
social success is important. Coupled with this unconditional
love must be the expressed parental belief of what is expected
and what consequences may occur. Parents have an obligation to
provide athletic equipment that is both age appropriate and
sized correctly. The concept of "he'll grow into it" can be a
recipe for accidents. Bicycles, bike/ski helmets,
skis/snowboards, baseball bats/gloves should properly fit the
child at the time the equipment is purchased. Many sporting good
stores have end-of-season exchanges facilitating "trading up" in
size or skill level of equipment. While many children feel they
are adept swimmers, drowning remai