DEAR Editor, AS a parent, I read with dis tress the recent articles
concerning our children’s safety.

I refer to the case of Sharlinie Mohd Nashar and Haw Qian Tong who was hurt while visiting Zoo Negara in December.

While no one wants to place undue blame on the parents,
it seems that in this day and age, there is no room for mis takes.

I remember when I was young, children could run free in the playground. I still re member the games I used to play with the other neighbour hood children while our fathers were at work and our mothers were cooking in the kitchen.

Such days are gone.

Parents can no longer afford to be lax concerning the se curity of their children and can not look away for a second.

In the case of Qian Tong, she was clawed by an animal at the zoo.

Children will be children, meaning that when they come across anything or anyone interesting, they will be curious.

You can teach them to keep away from strangers or restricted zones, but at the end of the day, they should be supervised at all times.

There is no reason to point fingers at the parents of chil dren who have been hurt or gone missing.

My heart goes out to the parents and I am sure all mothers feel the same way.

I cannot imagine their agony.

It is easy to play the blame game, but let us learn from these situations and ensure that we do not let such incidents repeat itself.

Always keep an eye on our children no matter what and never assume that such things only happen to other people.

Why take the chance?

It only takes seconds for something to go wrong.

In that few seconds, we could end up losing those we care about the most.

Concerned parent
Shah Alam

Source: Malay Mail – January 15, 2008