Protecting Our Kids

Whoa, busy time around here.

Our hockey season has kicked in as our cross-country season winds down.

I will be glad when October is over.

Many of you probably saw this over the past week.  It's a sad story and makes you think about how things can change in an instance.  As our children grow older, the coolness factor comes into play and disagreements may be had over whether or not to wear a helmet when skiing, biking or recreational skating.

My boys never, ever argue about their hockey helmets and we've spent the extra money on getting the safest one out there.

But, as this article points out, studies are not conclusive and researchers do not yet know if helmets are cutting  the risk of concussions.

If you are a hockey parent, then you already know this, but the USA Hockey Association changed the checking rules this year.  Kids use to start checking at the age of 11 and 12.  It has since been moved up to the 13 and 14 year age group.  The reason being that the brain is still developing and there would be less of a chance of concussions.  Last time I heard (and we hear it often) that the brain continues to develop until age 23 or there abouts.  

I'm glad people are aware and are trying to make the game safer.  I thank the researchers for dedicating their studies to the safety of our children.  Hopefully, one day incidents, like the one on the football field will be history.