Teaching Kids to Save Lives

Recently the news reported that a 9-year old boy saved his 2-year old sister by performing CPR.  Do you think that school-age kids should learn basic emergency medical training (such as CPR)?  Does your family make sure that your children know how to behave/react in case of emergencies?

Kristen Gottlieb, Douglasville mom to two boys (9 and 13)

I have a 9-year old son and I can’t imagine that he would have the presence of mind to do CPR in an emergency.  I don’t think kids should be entrusted with that sort of thing, such a big burden for small shoulders.  I think if they happen to learn it in school, that’s fine but I wouldn’t pay extra for them to know stuff like that.  My oldest son has expressed interest in being a lifeguard when he turns 17 so I’m sure he’ll need to take CPR courses to be able to do that.

Rita Ronin, Douglasville mom to Ashton (10)

My son is a boy scout and he is familiar with basic first aid training, tourniquets, treating burns and such.  I am thankful that he has that training.  He understands that 911 is for emergencies and I’m certain would call if he needed help.  I think we should empower our kids in case an emergency should occur.  Kids can often handle more than we think they can so why not give them the necessary info in case they need to take action?

Minde Herbert, mom to 5-year old twins, Sam and Jane

When the kids were a little over 3-years old we taught them how to dial 911 and instructed them on how to speak to the 911 operators.  (We even did a trial run and ended up with a fire truck in our driveway!  Oops!)  We have talked about what is (and what is not) an emergency and appropriate times to call for help.  I believe that kids can be of great assistance during emergencies, we just need to give them the right information. When my kids are older they will learn CPR.  It’s a good skill!