Should first aid be mandatory for parents?

If I look back over the last few weeks – you could describe it as eventful, especially where first aid is concerned: my son gave a mild concussion to a visiting friend (accidentally of course).

That friend later collapsed that day as we were out walking and loosing consciousness (albeit briefly). She ended up looking like a Kentucky Fried chicken as I wrapped her in a foil blanket to try and retain some heat!

This weekend, my youngest trapped her finger in the door (her big brother slammed it shut on them) – I have never heard her cry like that, and even though I was confident from a first aid point of view, it was never-the-less, quite distressing. This was in sympathy to my wife who slammed the car boot (trunk) onto her own hand – that had a nice swelling to it (I used ice packs for both hand casualties!)

No one prepared me for this when I became a parent. I think they should make learning about first aid mandatory for all would-be parents, because you know (especially if you have boys) that you are going to need the skill set.

Of course, this is just my view – what do you guys think?