As parents we must always take all necessary safety measures to prevent accidents. An oversight or some detail that we ignore, could have unfortunate consequences.
Losing a child is something that no one should live. A mother shares her story and her pain, to prevent other parents from using child seats and saving a life.
Car accidents are one of the leading causes of infant death. The majority of children killed in traffic accidents are not subject to the retention system. Sometimes it seems easy for some parents not to use them because they say: "We will only go back". But accidents occur even in the shortest distances.
A mother remembers her son 12 years after he died in a car accident by not taking the right seat for his age, and nreminds you of the importance of always using the necessary security measures to prevent more tragedies from happening like those of his little son Kyle.
His message, accompanied by some photos of his son, was published on the Facebook page Car Seat Consultants:
12 years ago it was the last time I looked at this beautiful smile, kissed that sweet face or felt those little arms around my necks. I had no idea that this morning with him would be the last time I would hear his lovely laugh and his sweet voice tell me "mommy" and see his eyes light up full of life and wonder. I still remember clearly how I could only fall asleep if I lay down next to him and let him caress my cheek, and I whispered "I love you" in his ear as he had fallen asleep. Or how much he adored his older sister and animals of all shapes and sizes, but especially turtles. He was the sweetest, kind and gentle soul I have ever met.
There is not a single day that my heart does not hurt for losing it and I imagined what it would be like now. Losing Kyle was like feeling that I was directly submerged in hell, an indescribable pain and agony. If the scars were visible, people would be speechless every time they saw me. Somehow that would make it easier, but instead I carry those scars and pain inside me, invisible to everyone except those who know me very well. People look at me and think that I am just a normal person, but I am not. I am marked in an incomprehensible way. I have walked through hell and still carry a piece of it inside me. I have realized that this type of loss is not something that you overcome or with what you are at peace, it is something that you will eventually learn to contain in a fire box inside your heart, and to which you leave the lid closed so that they can Run day by day But sometimes certain things open that box, a song, a smell, a flash of a memory and then burn through you again. It is a pain that I will carry with me until the day I die and finally I can be with my sweet son again.
I think the hardest part is knowing how easy it could have been prevented. That is the dagger that writhes in my heart. If I had known about the dangers of using a booster cushion in young children, if someone had told me, I would have put it in a chair with a five-point harness ... and that simple difference would have changed everything. I would have saved a life. It would have saved me from living hell. I would have had the last 12 years full of memories with my beautiful child, instead of 12 years of grief and pain. I wouldn't have to imagine what my son would look like now, I would be able to hug him and tell him that I love him and see him become a man. But I lost all that for ONE mistake. And that's why my mission in life is to prevent this tragedy from happening to someone else.
Car accidents are the number one killer of children, and statistics show that 80-90% of car seats are improperly installed or misused! Read this again and try it. We are not protecting our children from the greatest threat to their lives! It is crazy. Think about all those prevention campaigns you watch every day ... none of those diseases represents a risk as great as death due to a car accident. And deaths caused by accidents can, in many cases, be prevented by using the chair properly! Why are we not talking about this ?! Why are there no prevention campaigns? We try to protect children from pesticides, genetically modified organisms, furniture with sharp ends and cancer, but then we put them in a car seat that is not safe. This needs to change.
Please, if you have young children or know someone who has them, inquire about the correct use of child seats and talk to everyone you know. I have lost friends and family because they felt offended when I made a comment about the seat they were using wrongly. But saying nothing and having the death of another child in my conscience is not something I am willing to risk. So please, if you see a child in a dangerous situation, talk. You could save a life. Children's lives are more important than the parents' ego. If someone had done it for me, Kyle would still be here. We have a lot of work to do but I know we can save lives if we work together to share Kyle's story and his message. Safety in child seats is not a "parent's choice", it is a matter of physics and facts. Please watch the video of Kyle //youtu.be/qbdvLvscEgQ and click on the links in the description to learn more.
❤ In memory of Kyle David Miller 3/13/02 - 05/29/05 ❤
The mistake he mentions in his message was to have placed Kyle on a booster cushion ahead of time, when he still needed to travel in a seat suitable for his age.
For stories like this I always defend and share information about the use of child seats. I know that many people do not like my insistence and do not understand why I continue to take my daughter back when she is about to turn three years old. But when it comes to the safety of our children there should be no room for "nothing happens" or to take things lightly.
It is important to emphasize that not because we buy the best or safest chair our children are already safe. We must make sure your chair is well installed and that the harness or belt is securely fastened.
Hopefully with the message of Kyle's mother more parents will be informed, but above all to become aware of the importance of using the appropriate child restraint system for your children.
