The latest menace is Silly Bandz. Those shaped rubber bands -- the ones that look like animals or rockets or waves -- could be dangerous to your children. Sound the alarm.
As it turns out, these rubber bands could actually constrict the flow of blood to the hands. It's the tourniquet effect. Some kids like to wear hundreds of these bands, all up and down their arms. Having lots of Silly Bandz indicates high status on the playground.
Maybe the government will require the manufacturer to have a warning label. Maybe they will tell you how many you can safely wear on your arm. Maybe they will put these behind the counter at Wal-Mart, so only responsible adults can purchase them. There could be public service announcements.
"Parents, do you really know how many Silly Bandz your child has on his arm? Oh it looks like fun, but wearing these bands could result in gangrene. Is it really worth it?"
Or parents could instruct their children not to cut off their blood flow. Is it too much to expect parents to teach common sense to their kids?
Of course, you can cut off your circulation with ordinary rubber bands, too. When I did that as a kid, my mom told me not to. "It can cut off your circulation," she told me. Wow, apparently she's smarter than a lot of parents today. And I still remember the lesson.
