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By Daniella Gray
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Summer is a great time for kids to play outside, but ensuring their safety while they're being supervised by others can be a minefield for parents.
Paige Turner, who has four children and uses social media to share parenting advice, posted a video on Instagram telling viewers what not to say when caring for someone else's child.
"If a parent asks you to do something in regards to their children's safety, it's important to respect them and their boundaries," Turner wrote in the video's caption.
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In the video, she offered a few scenarios to emphasize her point, saying: "If a parent says to you, 'Please put on their life jacket,' you should say OK. If a parent says to you, 'Oh, please don't give them a hot dog. It's a choking hazard,' you should say OK. The parent says, 'Hey, do you mind watching her near that body of water?' OK."
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Turner also discussed a response caretakers—such as grandparents, friends or partners of a primary parent—often make to concerned parents: "They're fine."
"If their parent tells you, 'Please do XYZ for their safety,' and you respond with, 'Oh, they're fine,' you don't respect that parent, and you don't respect the safety of that child," she said.
Turner also wrote in the video's caption, "It's important that you respect parents when it comes to how they want to parent their children."
When asked about the response to her Instagram video, Turner told Newsweek that other parents were experiencing the same dilemma.
"I've heard from many parents who feel their safety precautions regarding their children are not respected. It can be very frustrating to share boundaries or expectations with others who want to watch your child, only to have them ignored," she said.
Turner's message seemed to resonate with other parents online, with one commenter writing: "Why is this so damn hard for people to understand?? Now, my response is 'then you cannot take them.'"
Another said: "And those people also have the choice of telling the child's parent that they aren't going to look after their child! If you don't like the parents' rules, then don't look after the child and let the parents do it all themselves."
However, not everyone agreed with Turner's advice. One commenter said they found some of her examples "a little excessive." Another thought "they're fine" was an "acceptable" response from a friend.
Turner also said in the video that summertime was "notorious" for accidents.
"They're so many things that are fun and exciting and we all want to enjoy, but we need to enjoy them safely for our children's sake. Respect parents, respect their boundaries and respect their kids," she said.
A commenter wrote, "I would even add that it doesn't have to be for safety—my preferences as their parent deserve to be respected and honored."
Turner agreed: "I want to be clear that parents should not expect others to watch their kids, but if someone offers to help care for them, they need to respect the parents' wishes.
"If someone ignores your requests or boundaries, my best advice is to not allow that person to care for your child."
If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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