For those of us who enjoy traveling, we can agree on how important it is to make every moment of that trip count and to make the journey as memorable as possible.
But there should absolutely be limits to how far we're willing to go to make it memorable.
Some people seem to have not gotten that memo, however, with parents crossing into animal enclosures to get a closer view of a wild animal, or people trespassing into people's yards and homes to play a game or compete in a social media trend.
But another big one that doesn't get talked about enough is ignoring safety guardrails for precarious areas, like high viewing points that might have unstable rocks.
Recently, an anonymous person filmed a mother who had stepped out of the guardrail viewing station on Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park, California, taking her child with her.
The video is brief but shows the mother struggling to keep her balance while holding her young son's hand. He also is seen struggling to keep his balance in the video.
Not pictured is the woman's other child, who was also outside the guardrails and not holding their mother's hand.
What is also not shown is how dramatic the drop-off actually is, making the view a wonderful one to capture—though its height should absolutely be respected.
You can watch the video below, shared the the 'Tourons of National Parks' Instagram page ("tourons" being a combination of "tourists" and "morons"):
Most people were outraged by the mother's behavior.
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
A few argued that the situation wasn't as dire as it appeared to be.
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
@touronsofnationalparks/Instagram
Most felt that, because the heights were so extreme and the mother's children were so young that they needed to hold her hand to step outside the viewing area, the woman should have better considered the risks.
While she was creating a memorable moment for her children by showing them this tremendous view without it being obscured by other people, their viewing was also not being obscured by safety rails—which could have turned out to be far too great of a risk to try to create these memories over.
Safety guards are there for a reason. It's best to stay behind them.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
