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| it's hard to snap a good pic at a stop light - but can you see that grin? |
first and most obvious, they're WAY more interactive! john can see me, so he talks to me the whole time. we discuss the upcoming day at school, what we did the day before, and what we see around us. (favorite topics are trees, cars, trucks, and if we're so lucky, tractors. the occasional airplane, helicopter, or motorcycle make it in there as well.) he was already very talky in the car, but now that he can directly interact with us he's even gigglier and more fun than he was before.
second, he's made me SO much more cognizant. i try to be a very aware and cautious driver - obvious things like no texting while driving, and less obvious efforts to constantly be aware of what the vehicles around me are doing. but with john watching me, i know i am already setting an example for him even though he's years and years from driving. so i've cut way down on the phone conversations, and i would never think of entering anything into the navigation system or anything like that. it's amazing how that little grinning face back there keeps me more honest with myself.
and that's sort of the moral of the story, i think - it's amazing how strongly i feel compelled to be a better person, because i know a better mom helps john be a better john. and man, that kid deserves the best.
*back in april of 2011, the aap (american academy of pediatrics) issued new guidelines recommending that kids stay rear-facing in the car seats until at least age two. as that came shortly before john's first birthday, we decided that especially since he's sort of a little butt, we'd go ahead and keep him facing backward til his second birthday. theoretically, i think we could have even kept him rear-facing until he met the weight limit on his seat for rear-facing - 35 lbs, i believe, which he's nowhere near. {warning: soapbox} and the statistics are pretty compelling - something like children under two are 75% less likely to die or be seriously injured in a car crash if they are rear-facing. i think that's a stat and a set of recommendations that not a lot of parents have encountered yet. i certainly understand that every parent makes their own decisions based on their specific circumstances - but i would ask all parents of little bits to consider researching these guidelines and make an educated decision. no matter how safe you are, not everyone out there is. protect your wee ones the best you can! {end soapbox}
*back in april of 2011, the aap (american academy of pediatrics) issued new guidelines recommending that kids stay rear-facing in the car seats until at least age two. as that came shortly before john's first birthday, we decided that especially since he's sort of a little butt, we'd go ahead and keep him facing backward til his second birthday. theoretically, i think we could have even kept him rear-facing until he met the weight limit on his seat for rear-facing - 35 lbs, i believe, which he's nowhere near. {warning: soapbox} and the statistics are pretty compelling - something like children under two are 75% less likely to die or be seriously injured in a car crash if they are rear-facing. i think that's a stat and a set of recommendations that not a lot of parents have encountered yet. i certainly understand that every parent makes their own decisions based on their specific circumstances - but i would ask all parents of little bits to consider researching these guidelines and make an educated decision. no matter how safe you are, not everyone out there is. protect your wee ones the best you can! {end soapbox}
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