I’m loving this short post about the common worries that parents have with regards to their kids, and contrasted against the real dangers that exist. 

Based on surveys Barnes collected, the top five worries of parents are, in order:

1. Kidnapping
2. School snipers
3. Terrorists
4. Dangerous strangers
5. Drugs

But how do children really get hurt or killed?

1. Car accidents
2. Homicide (usually committed by a person who knows the child, not a stranger)
3. Abuse
4. Suicide
5. Drowning

I will readily admit that I have personally had some of these worries from time to time, but the rational part of my brain shouts out and says that’s really stupid.  Usually I listen, because I like to think I’m a rational person.  It’s a difficult voice to ignore, there must be some sort of wiring in my head that makes it so.  One commenter on this post pretty much nails it:

If we were any good at assessing risk, then we would kiss the ground when the taxi dropped us off at the airport instead of clutching the armrest at takeoff.

It’s amazing that we even have these worries, because really how many direct experiences have I had that even come close to any of these?  None.  We are so good at projecting other’s fears onto ourselves that just a news story is enough to chill our souls and instill fear even when the odds are long, long, long of any such thing happening to us.  In fact, I thought it might be fun to look up the odds of death of some regularly occurring nightmares (for some folk).

Heart Disease
 1-in-5
 
Cancer
 1-in-7
 
Stroke
 1-in-23
 
Accidental Injury
 1-in-36
 
Motor Vehicle Accident*
 1-in-100
 
Intentional Self-harm (suicide)
 1-in-121
 
Falling Down
 1-in-246
 
Assault by Firearm
 1-in-325
 
Fire or Smoke
 1-in-1,116
 
Natural Forces (heat, cold, storms, quakes, etc.)
 1-in-3,357
 
Electrocution*
 1-in-5,000
 
Drowning
 1-in-8,942
 
Air Travel Accident*
 1-in-20,000
 
Flood* (included also in Natural Forces above)
 1-in-30,000
 
Legal Execution
 1-in-58,618
 
Tornado* (included also in Natural Forces above)
 1-in-60,000
 
Lightning Strike (included also in Natural Forces above)
 1-in-83,930
 
Snake, Bee or other Venomous Bite or Sting*
 1-in-100,000
 
Earthquake (included also in Natural Forces above)
 1-in-131,890
 
Dog Attack
 1-in-147,717
 
Asteroid Impact*
 1-in-200,000**
 
Tsunami*
1-in-500,000

Fireworks Discharge
1-in-615,488

 
Finally, just to really quench the good vibes and optimism you had about the odds being that nothing really horrendous will happen to you, the odds of winning the jackpot in Lotto 6/49?

1 in 13,983,816

Crap.