More Fire Safety Tips

As burns can be so devastating to a young person,particularly if they scar your children for life I decided to extend my research to do with Fire safety around the home and found even more obscure threats to my family's safety.

You should consider how you heat your home and what kind of risk this heating system poses. For example, if your home is heated with a completely self-contained, enclosed central heating system with no exposed source of direct heat, you have far less to be concerned about than you would if you were using a wood burning stove in the centre of the room to power the heating system.

Another very sensible step to take is to use a thermostat to control the temperature of the water that comes out of the faucets (taps) in the bathroom and kitchen. If the water cannot get hotter than (say) 110°F or 120°F (or ‘medium' heat if this is how your thermostat is calibrated), the water is never going to get hot enough to scald anyone.

On a more general level, you should consider installing appropriate fire prevention measures whilst also making sure that you have the necessary fire fighting ‘tools' available in the home as well.
For an example, every room in your home should have smoke detectors fitted, and if possible, installing a sprinkler system that will automatically douse a fire within moments of it starting would also be an extremely good idea.

Next, make sure that you have fire extinguishers (and possibly fire blankets) to hand. You should also ensure that you have read and fully understand the instructions for how to use the extinguishers well in advance of needing them too. In the panic that would naturally ensue in the event of a fire is no time to be learning how to use the extinguisher.

Another extremely useful step is to give a good deal of thought and consideration to how you would exit your property in the case of a fire developing. In other words, you need a personal fire escape plan that is tailored to the peculiarities and characteristics of your home that will enable you to get out in the shortest possible time.

This plan should also take into account as many possible variables or eventualities as you can think of as well. For example, it is all very well knowing that you can get out the door if a fire breaks out during the day, but what happens if you live in a two storey house in which you and your family sleep on the upper level? How are you going to get out if a fire breaks out downstairs in the middle of the night? These are all important points to consider.

Should Little Girls Wear High Heels?

I must admit I am a little shocked by a photo I ran across lately. It was of little Suri Cruise, who is only three years old, strutting around in little white high heels.
Granted what she was wearing was a very classy and cute pair of heals. They were kind of high however. The heel looked to be almost two inches. The construction of the shoe was T-strap style but still I had to ask myself a couple of questions. Is this fashion for toddlers thing going too far? What is the deal with high heels on little people who have yet to grow bones? Could it actually stunt their growth.
The other disturbing thing is how sexual these shoes look on such a young child. It seems though that celebrity children can never be too young to be sexualized.
It seems that Disney is in on the act. My little girl talks all the time about how she wants some high heel Princess shoes. These are plastic clackers with big sequins and feathers on them that have a heel. I think they are a bit slippery and dangerous to walk in because the soles of them are smooth plastic. They are also cut a little sharply so with a very young girl I would be scared she cut her foot.
This is part of a larger trend towards sexualizing little girls and although I am not altogether for it I am not against it either because I do think that it helps girls develop their sexuality. However you are also seeing little girls turned into sex objects. Even their tiny glittery tops are low cut and a bit provocative. It makes you wonder if the design minds behind these kiddie fashion creations have ever heard of child molesters. Some of the fluffier dresses remind me of Jon Benet Ramsey wear.
I think Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes should know better. They must know as parents that what their little girl wears influences thousands of parents. People imitate the way celebrities dress. For the record I don't do anything that a celebrity does. I really do believe that a little kid should not be in high heels at the age of three. Maybe it is okay at age five if the kid has to wear those special tap dancing shoes that have a bit of kitten heel. Other than that it is not necessary.
Of course I am just assuming that it was her parents who chose these shoes for her. It could be that the child insisted on wearing them. However in my house I am the boss and the child does not tell me what she is going to wear during the day.