My Son Is a Well-Behaved Kid. But Around One Dangerous Machine, He Forgets All of His Survival Instincts.

Parent Describes Persistent Traffic Safety Challenges With Seven-Year-Old Son

A parent writing to an advice column detailed repeated incidents in which their seven-year-old son walked into roadways or exited vehicles without checking for traffic, despite repeated instruction at home and at school. The father, who signed the letter “Look Both Ways,” stated that the child otherwise follows safety rules in other settings, such as avoiding hot stoves, staying out of pools without supervision, and approaching unfamiliar dogs cautiously.

The parent reported that the boy, identified as “Carlos,” performs adequately in school without noted hyperactivity or attention difficulties. Specific incidents included unbuckling a seat belt and attempting to exit a parked car before the engine was off, stopping in the middle of a crosswalk to discuss unrelated topics, and stepping off a curb during a school walk to a park. In one case, a driver yelled after the child stepped in front of a vehicle in a grocery store parking lot. The parent said the child consistently responds that he “just forgot” and has received both punishment and praise in attempts to change the behavior. A family friend’s prior injury in a crosswalk was also mentioned as part of prior discussions about vehicle risks.

The letter noted that the child receives standard traffic safety lessons at school and that one teacher must hold his hand during group walks. The parent expressed reluctance to use physical restraints such as reins and asked why the safety information had not been retained in the same manner as other rules.

The column was written by Arionne Nettles, a journalism professor. Nettles has no documented professional credentials in pediatrics, child psychology, occupational therapy, or developmental assessment. In the published response, Nettles suggested the behavior might stem from distraction by external stimuli such as trees, birds, or conversations and recommended a breathing exercise before leaving a vehicle or beginning a walk. The response also advised consulting the child’s pediatrician for a possible referral to an occupational therapist and characterized the child as excited by his surroundings rather than intentionally unsafe.

The behaviors described—repeated entry into traffic despite instruction, statements of forgetting, and the requirement for direct adult physical guidance—are among those that pediatric guidelines list as possible indicators for further screening. Standard practice in child development calls for a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed clinician when safety lapses of this type persist in one domain after typical instruction. Conditions that can affect impulse control or attention allocation, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or sensory processing differences, are diagnosed only through standardized assessment rather than parental observation alone.

Traffic safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that children ages 5 to 9 account for a measurable share of pedestrian injuries, with many incidents occurring in parking lots or near schools. Prevention recommendations from public health agencies emphasize environmental controls, adult supervision, and, when indicated, individualized behavioral or developmental support.

Parents facing similar reports are advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics to document specific incidents, including frequency and setting, and to request a developmental screening during routine medical visits. Any intervention, whether breathing techniques or other strategies, is ordinarily introduced only after ruling out or identifying underlying factors through professional assessment. The column did not include this sequence of steps.

The parent’s account and the published reply illustrate a common category of child-rearing questions about domain-specific safety. Medical organizations continue to recommend that persistent lapses receive evaluation by qualified practitioners before conclusions are drawn about the sole cause.