At the Age of Twelve????

I’m all for safety but, sometimes, things get just a bit ridiculous.


Yes, I believe in seatbelts, whether it’s the law or not. The same goes for putting children in car seats.

But the latest recommendation is a bit much. Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced revised guidelines for children in cars. The first announcement I heard on TV was that the organization is recommending booster seats for children up through 12.

Yes, 12!

I started first grade when I was five, so that means I was entering 8th grade at the age of 12. I cannot imagine being in a booster seat in the 8th grade!

When I was growing up, we could get driving permits at the age of 14 in South Carolina. Can you imagine going from booster seat to driving in one year’s time? Of course, way back then, we didn’t even have seatbelts in cars. And infants often were in the laps of parents instead of in car seats.

A 12-year-old is, obviously, just about a teenager. A 12-year-old likely would rather walk or ride a bike than sit in a booster seat in the back seat of a car, which is where the AAP says they should be.

Peter the Great became czar at the age of 10. Chopin composed two polonaises at the age of seven and gave a public performance at the age of eight. Mozart was composing at the age of five and wrote his first symphony at the age of eight.

At the ripe old age of 13, Michael Jackson launched his solo career, following up on his success as part of his family’s Jackson 5. Magellan sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the age of 17.

Just recently, Trevor Bayne became the youngest-ever winner of the Daytona 500 at the age of 20. I’ll bet he wasn’t in a booster seat at the age of 12.