Good on ya, Phillip for getting him started
the right way. I guess it's like anything else in life- at some point, kids are going to do (or be old enough to do) what they want to whether we want them to or not. And sooner or later, there comes a point where we lose all control over what they do. Your son is gaining alot, IMHO, by having early input by a positive influence/role model. He is also still young enough where you still do have
some say over what he does, when he does it, and how he's gonna do it.
He's lucky because:
1. He gets to spend extra time with his dad creating a bond and memories that he will carry for the rest of his life and may someday be fortunate enough to get to feel that same "feel-good", unspoken connection with his offspring. (Wow, that sounds something philosophical like Hans would say
! I'm scaring myself, here!
)
2. He is being "allowed" to do something he really wants to do. . . . . . a privilege, NOT a right.
3. He has someone who he already knows and can trust to help him wrench on his bike.
4. He has someone to show him how to ride and assist in developing GOOD street habits/skills during the most "formative years" of his riding career.
5. His riding buddy won't be someone who may either set a bad example or try to peer-pressure him into doing something stupid.
You're lucky because:
Well, just see the above!
Just a little reminder of something to tuck way back in your head. This is like preaching to the choir but something I feel strongly enough about to make mention here. As a parent, you do the best you can to bring your children up the right way and the best way you know how. Just you being there says a lot and he will always take that with him, wherever he goes and long after you're gone. You also need to remember that as children grow and become young adults,
THEY are responsible for making their own decisions and will live with the consequences of their decisions and actions. This holds true for all of us, no one is exempt. Unfortunately, we as parents are sometimes also left living and dealing with the consequences of their actions.......... specifically if it involves negative consequences, such as a severe injury or even death.
However, we must also look at it like this- don't we as parents who ride, also expose ourselves to the SAME risks and potentially leave our children/families behind left to deal with the SAME negative consequences if WE are severely injured or killed?
So, I guess, the moral of this story is two-fold. First, is that we ALL need to recall that the very sport in which we participate and love so dearly does in fact have certain risks. Because of these risks, we must each judge/decide for ourselves whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. If we decide that the benefit does outweigh the risk, then we must accept the same level of responsibility to lessen those risks as much as possible- not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones. To this extent, I'd encourage all parents considering getting their children indoctrinated into our sport to sit down with their kids and talk exactly about these topics. The secondary gain will also be forcing ourselves to revisit this same topic, thereby reminding ourselves that while we do derive great pleasure from riding, that we are indeed engaging in a potentially hazardous activity.
Second, if we are not only wanting to ensure our own safety to protect ourselves, but also to teach our kids a good example, then, in my opinion, ATGATT combined with safe, responsible, and educated riding is the only way to go. These topics have already been brought up by the majority of the respondents in this thread: ATGATT, MSF and advanced riding courses, and one that may not have been mentioned yet, riding within our own abilities.
I guess I'm being somewhat introspective here, because I look at my own recent accident combined with other, more experienced riders who have been involved in serious accidents- Old Michael, SkooterG, Tyler, ExtremeMarine, and most recently, BeamerReamer. And those are just the one's that I know of that come to mind. These are folks who have accumulated
a lot of miles- humbly, way more than I have. And, as was said by Oldryder, the percentages of accidents do not favor new/inexperienced riders.
So how does this relate to the main topic by Philip? I guess it would be not only the responsibility we have to ourselves and our families as riders, but also as parents in teaching our kids about riding responsibly and understanding the risks involved seeing as how new riders are considered most at-risk. As parents, we can only try to provide a positive model for our children through responsible riding, wearing the appropriate gear, taking classes or finding other ways to improve on our riding skills, and passing that knowledge along. As to whether or not we should encourage our kids to ride . . . . . . . . .
That is another matter of personal opinion in which there is no one "correct" answer. Again, it falls to a matter of risk vs. benefit combined with one's own personal judgement.
Phew, OK, I think I'm done now! :dribble: :dribble:
In all fairness, I'm a nurse so all I write in are incomplete and run-on sentences without regard to punctuation, flow, or grammatical correctness! I've always wanted to send my college english professor a copy of one of my patient's charts so she could see what a shitty job she dun did of teeching me hows too right! :lol:
CJ
