That’s the law. Change the laws if you don’t like them but at least know what the current laws are in your area.
Historical information for you both. When I was a kid, living in a suburb of LA, we always rode on the sidewalks. If a cop caught you riding in the street he would chew you out and tell you it was only safe to ride on the side walk. A few years later they passed the insane law that bikes HAD to ride in the street, thus increasing the bicycle death rate many fold. The reason? It supposedly wasn't safe for pedestrians for bikes to ride on the side walk. So, to save a few people on the side walks some bruises they decided to kill off bike riders.
BTW, I used to ride in the area I live in now, which is very unpopulated, but I stopped riding when I saw a guy get run over by a logging truck. It ran over his head, popped his brain right out on the highway like a grape. I made the instant decision to sell my bike and drive or walk every where after that.
It is a rule in our house that you ride on the sidewalk when available. Common sense.
I used to ride a little, too. Our house is very close to a recreational lake with beautiful, long bridges spanning it. We have a lot of pros who train here. So I decided to start riding, and did, until a lady who was on a ride at 8:00 on a Sunday morning got hit full force by a drunk driver. My life as a mom to my kids is much more important than my life as a cyclist. So I spin at the local gym and run at home. I will probably never ride the roads again.