Parental concerns

One month before her children’s summer vacation, Mầu Thị Như Hoa from Nam Thanh ward (Điện Biên Phủ city, Điện Biên province) began preparing for a beneficial summer for her children. She expressed: “It is not easy to ensure a fun, healthy, meaningful, and safe summer for my children while I still have to work. After thinking it through, I decided to enroll them in a martial arts class during the summer to improve their physical fitness.”

Similarly, Lê Văn Tuyển from Thanh Bình ward (Điện Biên Phủ city) prepared to send his children to his parents’ house in Thanh Hóa province while he and his wife continued working. His children were excited about the experience, but the couple had their concerns. Tuyển shared: “Before sending my two children to my parents’ house, I shared with them some safety stories to ensure their well-being. I reminded them to always ask for permission from their grandparents and to avoid playing near rivers, lakes, or busy roads to prevent accidents.”

Summer is a time for relaxation for children after a year of hard study. However, for parents, it is often the most stressful time as they have to balance work commitments with child care. Parents of older children, such as those in secondary or high school, worry about their children spending time at home alone, possibly falling into bad habits like playing video games or hanging out with inappropriate friends. On the other hand, parents of younger children fear leaving them at home unsupervised as accidents are more likely to occur without adult supervision.

Trần Thị Vân from Thanh An commune (Điện Biên district) has two grown children who can manage their daily activities. During the summer, she allows them to play at home, but she has a detailed plan and frequently reminds them not to spend too much time on the phone or watching TV. She said: “There are times when I worry about leaving them at home all day. The home environment is not entirely safe for children, as we’ve had cases where children at home have suffered electrical, water, or fire-related accidents. To feel more secure, we decided to install cameras for monitoring.”

Ensuring a safe summer for children

Điện Biên, with its mountainous terrain and many rivers, lakes, and roads that are difficult to navigate, presents higher risks for children’s accidents than other regions. In 2024, the province reported over 2,800 cases of child accidents, including 45 fatalities, with 29 out of 45 deaths caused by drowning.

Over the years, various programs have been implemented to prevent child accidents, focusing on raising awareness about child protection, educating on how to avoid common accidents such as road traffic accidents and drowning, and teaching children swimming. Local authorities, organizations, and associations have actively promoted these educational activities, including first aid training and road safety training.

Recently, Lương Thế Vinh High School organized a safety training session on accident prevention and basic swimming skills for all students. With informative sessions and interactive methods, students learned how to identify potential dangers in everyday life and at school, as well as techniques for preventing common accidents such as falls, burns, electric shocks, traffic accidents, and drowning. They were also trained in first aid and how to respond to emergency situations like drowning.

To ensure children have a meaningful and safe summer, youth organizations in the province have been organizing various educational activities. These include raising awareness on accident prevention, self-protection skills, and ensuring child safety during natural disasters or disease outbreaks, along with promoting the responsible use of electricity.

Đặng Thành Huy, Secretary of the provincial Youth Union, stated: “In the coming time, youth organizations in the province will continue to mobilize social resources to build and upgrade playgrounds for children, as well as support and provide entertainment equipment for local communities. Additionally, we will organize law education clubs to strengthen social skills for children, helping the community better understand their responsibility towards children, contributing to creating a safe and healthy environment for their development.”

To ensure children have a safe and fulfilling summer, parental involvement is key. Parents need to stay connected with their children, listen to their concerns, and guide them on self-protection skills to ensure their safety. Regular supervision, reminders, and guidance from adults create a safe environment for children to play and explore the world around them.