Tell me about it brother. Hutch Bear Traps. A shin's worst enemy. ;)
Posted on 10/19/2007 7:33:32 AM PDT by SmithL
Every time I buckle my son into his car seat - positioned between the side impact air bags and above the antilock brakes in our five-star safety-rated automobile - I think about my preferred mode of travel in the summer of 1983.
I spent that season at the Connecticut wilderness home of a friend from elementary school, who was moving from the Bay Area to the East Coast. When it was time to drive the station wagon down the mountain road, his father would often give us a choice: Would we like to ride in the backseat or on the roof of the car?
In retrospect, this was probably a really bad idea. If two 12-year-olds were seen traveling on the roof of a car in 2007, it would likely trigger an Amber Alert, four dozen cell phone calls to Child Protective Services and a viral YouTube video to be played endlessly on "Nancy Grace." But I'm sort of glad it happened. Being perched on the top of that slow-moving Ford Country Squire was a small risk (remember, this was the pre-Ford Taurus 1980s, when station wagons had giant luggage racks that were practically made for passenger travel), but there was also a reward. Riding on the roof of that car made me a little bit less of a wuss.
The wussification of American children is a relatively recent phenomenon, but a very real one. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It’s for the children, don’t you know?
Yup, the bubble wrapping of childhood continues...
Romney caught a world of grief for riding his dog on the roof.
I have a battle scar from riding a bike. Pedal bite is a real b!tch.
My son came home the other day, jeans covered in mud. I asked what he was doing...PLAYING IN THE STREAM MOMMY, my jeans are cold and wet...
I asked if he had fun, and he beamed with a grin from ear to ear...YES, mud is cold, squishy and fun...
Boys need to be outside. No doubt it builds character and teaches them. I was a real girly girl when I was little, and boy, this little man is teaching me things I never knew about mud (things beside mud masks ;p)
Have a great weekend!
Suz
Was at a co-workers house for a football game. Watching TV, a child comes out of a room with helmet, gloves, elbow pads and knee pads. Someone asked him, what are you fixing to do? He said, ride my bicycle.
I like the roof idea. When we go camping, I let my kids ride on the outside of the van standing on the running boards. Or, sometimes I let them drive the van.
I once flipped myself off my sister’s bike. Never hit the front brake when you’re doing 15mph. I hurt my left knee and it was painful to walk.
Was the bike a BMX and was there a half-pipe in the neighborhood?
If yes the safety equipment would be prudent and not wussyfied.
No, rural area, just a regular little bike. Kid was about 6 years old. He was going to ride around the yard.
Tell me about it brother. Hutch Bear Traps. A shin's worst enemy. ;)
I think I'm dead.
I’m a firm believer in bike helmets, but that’s it.
I did have my kids use knee and elbow pads for the first day or two when learning to ride cause it was gonna be real painful and I wanted to get them riding, but the idea is to learn to ride so you won’t need them.
Beyond bike helmets, have at it cause you need a few bumps and cuts in your life.
I’m a parent of four, two are boys. One broken foot (girl who tripped) four sets of head stitches. (boys, skiing, running, tripping and hitting the business end of grandpa’s fifth wheel trailer hitch) Trips to the hospital are usually kind of fun cause we don’t get the vapors when our little darlings get a bit messed up.
A friend of mine’s son was on a boy scout trip last week and he fell down a hill. Minor concussion and a good story to tell.
Ditto
My 8 yo daughter went to a day camp this summer at a local historical farm venue. Last day, they went on a creek walk. I picker her up, covered from head to toe in mud with a mud mohawk on her head. (At least 2 pounds of mud on her head...) She also had a big smile on her face. Once I convinced her mother that she would not die, we all had a good laugh...
“Was the bike a BMX and was there a half-pipe in the neighborhood?
If yes the safety equipment would be prudent and not wussyfied.”
Indeed. As I type this, my old helmet from my BMX/Freestyle days sits on the top of my computer desk. Judging by the scars on it, it has saved my cranium numerous times. No way I was riding ramps without a helmet.
It's San Fran and they're talking about wussification, too funny.
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