Okay, I know that there's a bunch of snow outside and the thought of outdoor activities makes me shudder, but for some unknown reason I was thinking about bike riding. Not motorcycle/bike, but bicycle/bike. My son (who is not yet 2) got a little dirt bike style bicycle with training wheels for Christmas...even though I told the person who bought it not to because I just bought him a tricycle. Anyway, someone brought up that I had to find a helmet to fit my little man. Though I freak out when he falls, I want him to learn that if you do crazy things, sometimes you get hurt. I can tell you that 99.9% of scars on my body came from running around outside, climbing things, falling off of things, etc. I see it as a right of passage. Every scar tells a story that makes me laugh and shake my head. Not one person that I know had a helmet to ride a bike when they were little. But it seems that now, if you don't cover your children in helmets/knee pads/ a full body pillow, that you're a horrible parent. I don't relish the thought of my son bleeding and crying for me, but I don't want him to be a wimp. Scars show that you've lived. That you tried. That you were stupid and didn't listen to your mommy, but you survived. I wish I could wrap him in a cocoon sometimes and hide him from the world, but I am somewhat disgusted by the new generation's obsession with video games/TV/cell phones/etc. When my son has children of his own, I want him to be able to say, when I was your age, I played OUTSIDE!!! With sticks and mud and bugs!!!
So, after all that, here's the poll:
Did you/do you wear a helmet while riding a bicycle?
Do you/or plan to make your kids wear helmets?
Just curious :)
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7 comments:
I ride a bike every day when the weather is good. I wear a helmet, no matter how short the ride may be.
I hear what you're saying about not turning the boy into a candy ass, but head injuries are no joke. They happen very easily. Fortunately, all the other kids wear helmets these days, so he won't feel like a tool.
Don't make him wear knee pads and all that if he doesn't want to. He'll survive scraped knees or even a broken arm and be a better man for it. But a single concussion can fuck him up for life.
Nada. I was constantly covered in bruises after biking, ball game and fighting. One time I even jumped of the second floor with no broken bones.
But again, they don't make like me anymore.
I never wear one, riding in NYC, which is really dumb but i trust myself for some idiotic reason. It's risk management! - Slinky
I never wore one when I was growing up in the 'burbs. I've even braved the streets of NYC on roller blades with no helmet. I'll make my kids wear one, though.
And I agree, kids need to get outside and play. What's up with all these blubber-filled kids? It's unnatural.
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See, I won't get on my motorcycle without a helmet, yet I can't imagine riding a bicycle with one. I've never been a "Do as I say, not as I do" person. So, if I made my little man wear one, I'd have to wear one to be fair. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if I look like a dork, I just don't think you NEED a helmet for a bicycle unless you're into dirt biking or a trick master
Never wore one but I made mine wear them. Would’ve made them anyway, but my brother-in-law is a cop and does accident investigation, and listening to the head trauma stories involving kids convinced me. I side with anon on the concussion thing. Plus, so many kids wear them now that it's normal, especially starting off young, they get used to it.
Two things from Dr. safety here: Many people wear them incorrectly. Instead of lowered in the front, they push them back off the forehead, but that's usually the first point of contact during a fall.
And if they ever get cracked for whatver reason, chuck it and get a new one. The surface and styrofoam inside is designed to be destroyed and absorb the energy of an accident. Even a small crack can make it useless.
And don't even get me started on those freakin safety locks for cabinets.
Times change... I never wore one, but hardly anyone did at that time. My kiddies though - woe betide if I catch them bareheaded on their bikes.
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