Do you know what scares me?
@GardenGerty (157545)
United States
May 14, 2022 11:43am CST
There are many things that scare me or cause me concern. One of those things is seeing children, very small, toddler children, on farm equipment.
As I was doing my morning mowing today, re mowing everything I mowed less than a week ago, plus more, I saw an older man, holding a toddler with his left arm. The child was on his lap, or rather his left knee.
They were on a front end loader.
It is bigger than a riding lawnmower, smaller than a tractor, but still it is power equipment.
We hear every year about children injured or killed in similar situations. Even on simple riding lawn mowers.
The baby/toddler was having fun, but in his cute little shorts and shirt, the very smallest injury he would get would be asphalt burns and scrapes on his arms and legs. Could get a head injury, could get run over by the backend of the machine.
Wish people would stop scaring me.
As he passed the adult took his right hand off the wheel to give me a friendly wave.
13 people like this
13 responses
@Hannihar (129431)
• Israel
15 May 22
@GardenGerty
What did you do when you saw his wave?
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
Just looked back. Everyone waves all the time here even people I do not know.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@Hannihar I sometimes wave back at people but do not initiate. I feel that I do not see well enough to know who it is I am waving at.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129431)
• Israel
15 May 22
@GardenGerty
Makes sense that you would look back. Do you wave at them and also the ones you do not know?
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@RubyHawk They think it will not happen to them.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99425)
• Atlanta, Georgia
15 May 22
@GardenGerty That’s why we have so many accidents.
1 person likes this
Although I know it's common for farm families to do this, yah it scares the heck out of me too. Yah, it's all fun and good until something happens 
.@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
Just nothing to protect the little one at all.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53960)
• Los Angeles, California
15 May 22
@GardenGerty People take these risks and think nothing will happen 
.
.
@rebelann (111159)
• El Paso, Texas
14 May 22
My dad was raised on a farm .... grandpa was a share cropper .... and dad started learning to drive a tractor to help out when he was 5 or 6 around 1926. He and his brothers did all kinds of labor type work to help then when he was 10 he quit school to really help out.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
I know, and lots of people do that today. Farming is the most dangerous occupation, I believe.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@rebelann I do not disagree with you at all. The Ag Day field trip was very good because it was young people, teenagers, explaining the dangers and joys of farm and rural life to these elementary students. You know the grade school kids will listen more to the teens than to adults. The teens were earning grades on their presentations and they were hopefully internalizing their own message.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
14 May 22
Last week a neighbour headed down the road with her one year old grandchild on her lap (driving).
The day before the child’s father was out bombing around on his four wheeler with the tot on his lap…no helmet…on the road.
Earlier in the week mom and dad were on the trampoline with the tot..
I simply can’t watch such blatant irresponsibility.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
Common sense is quite uncommon and danger is everywhere. You hear about little ones getting run over in their family drive way.
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@Morleyhunt And if you are unloading a bunch of small kids in a parking lot you ask them to put a hand on the car to hold it while you get the others out and then you all go in together. People thought I was nuts when I would do this, but I ran a day care and often had more than one infant to deal with as well as toddlers or preschool age. We made "trains" or "chains" to walk to the store and I made sure I could see them. I had not heard your system about the house, but I love it. It makes good sense.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
15 May 22
@GardenGerty Rule at our house…as soon as a car started in the drive….make sure, some body part is in contact with the house.
Family thought we were nuts…but it made sure the kids were off the driveway if a vehicle was moving.
I found it was too easy to not see a child…but if they were touching the house, I could see all of them easily.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
Right behind them on another four wheeler. I know of several adults who have been seriously injured on four wheelers when they do not follow good safety habits.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
15 May 22
@GardenGerty I know they can be fun but also very dangerous.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@CarolDM And many believe "It won't happen to me".
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45484)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
14 May 22
Your post reminded me of the time I helped push-start Uncle John's tractor... 
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@BarBaraPrz Yep, I know you did.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
I know, farm kids live exciting lives. Lots of work, lots of thrills. How much help were you?
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45484)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 May 22
@GardenGerty Oh, loads and loads... see that pile of hay behind us? I put it there... 
1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12920)
• Italy
14 May 22
That sounds dangerous, hopefully the child was very well behaved and risk was minimal.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
The little one looked very pleased and he was not, or did not appear to be a wiggly kid.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (48398)
• Canada
14 May 22
That is very dangerous, and you would think the adult would know better.
They have farm safety courses for both parents as well as growing children at the college in the area that we come from. It a very rural area, our son took the course as he was out at my Dad's farm often when he was young.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
Even the other day at Ag Day, on our 3rd. grade field trip, we had high school students presenting lessons on Farm Safety. I hope they grow up to do what they know is safe.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
@Juliaacv I know common sense is not always common. Good examples like your dad will, I hope, outweigh the other examples.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (48398)
• Canada
15 May 22
@GardenGerty Its a shame that the grandparents and parents do not know better.
I remember that my Dad would never allow any children onto a tractor unless there was a buddy seat in the cab for them. He bought a gator to move the children around from one farm to another safely.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94471)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
14 May 22
I do not blame you being concerned seeing adults riding with small children riding with adults on farm equipment.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
15 May 22
So much potential injury. I know they think it is just a fun thing for the kids.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94471)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
15 May 22
@GardenGerty I know what you mean.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (15732)
• Raurkela, India
15 May 22
You could have talked to the gentleman and warned him about the dangers that children or kids to face with lawn mowers.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157545)
• United States
19 May 22
No I was not close and he was not stopping. I am pretty certain this older man has heard all the warnings but does not believe it applies to him.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (15732)
• Raurkela, India
19 May 22
@GardenGerty Such people are head strong and invite their and their children own danger.
