We have a lot of ducks and pukeko residing in our neighbourhood. During breeding season, I will often see an adult duck leading a trail of baby ducks along the bank of the creek, looking for food. There is a similar feel to the bicycle rides I do with my daughter. She is more than capable, but nonetheless, I always find myself keeping a watchful eye over her as we ride along. It’s natural. We ride and chat. We love it. She tells me so. I hope it will last forever.
She is curious about my passion for cycling and shows a very good understanding of the issues. Like any child, she has a good sense of injustice. She quizes me and I explain what I believe are the inequities within the current transport landscape. When I was her age, I was alot more transport independent. She and the children of her generation are limited in their ability and options to cycle. The back seat of the parents’ car is how they watch the world go by.
Our adventures are not limited to just cycling aroung the local park either. We have been doing trips to the local DVD shop on Dominion Rd. When it gets warmer and lighter, we are also planning to visit one of the many restaurants along this road. It will be a slow and easy 20 minute ride. Already, we have developed some great memories. All from a simple bike ride. And it’s certainly not the destination that is the most memorable thing. That axiom rings true for us.
My wish is that she could be doing these kinds of local trips with her friends. Or her friends’ parents were leaving the car at home more often. Not yet, unfortunately. And if there was adequate infrastructure, we would ride all the way into the Wynyard Quarter. Slow and memorable. Not yet, unfortunately.
Recently I got a sense of how well I have trained her up. She returned from our family trip to Japan last year, all enthused about riding a bicycle. She hopped onto her bike and claimed with indignance,“I want a real bike”.
Cycling-the non-vehicular way.
- Hey Retailers! Got a comfortable bicycle that you would like reviewed on these pages? Contact the site administrator for my contact details.
Really nice Mark, we all recently cycled to our local shops as a family- the first time we had ridden and not walked beside our daughter. She as usual loved it and is going to lose the training wheels real soon. She is already talking of the day she will be able to go anywhere she wants by herself. We naturally buzz with pride.
Great post Mark,
Yes the sad thing is that so many of us feel too scared to let our kids ride with their mates around the block or to the shops etc. Its a kind of delayed reality because, as we nervously avoid the issue, they get nearer and nearer driving age. Then we suddenly let them loose with 2 litres of raw power in a glass and steel coffin.
I have found it interesting, talking to teachers and parents who use the excuse that children simply havent got the "spatail awareness" or "cognative skills" for cycling on roads until they are at least 8 years old. etc
My answer is usually : Hey they are kids, they have to learn those skills sometime, why not at 4 or five?"
My son has been riding to school with me since he was five and is a skilled and competent 7 year old rider now. I am developing a "cycling with your children" unit for Grade 3 cycle training as I have picked up so many tips on how to teach and ride with Ollie.
The next step for me, is letting him ride on his own. I am sure I will have plenty of other "next steps" as a parent over the years. Its easy to ingore these moments of required bravery and hide behind the social acceptance of "safety concerns".
I have said this before but, do you think Edmund Hillary would have ever climbed Everest if he grew up constantly being told that (put) cycling (on) was (your) too (helmet) dangerous?
Set your kids free, let them ride
Gorgeous post, Mark. Keep it up.
(Also, LOOK at that ii-na mamachari!! I can haz bike that just works too?!)
Thanks for the feedback. We went up to the local hardware shop on Sunday. On the way home my daughter took a tumble. No damage other than a bruised ego. She failed to climb from road to footpath via driveway at sufficient angle. (A bit like the old tram tracks scenario). We had talked about this possibility but there is nothing like first hand experience to learn the lesson properly. Practice makes perfect. I remember falling off my bike as a child. Nothing serious but all good opportunities to learn about physics and test my boundaries.