Calif. Hunter
Active member
What do you do with them? We went camping this weekend with my sister-in-law, her husband and their three boys - aged 12, 9 and 8 - who are the "ride it until it breaks" kind of kids. We were going to my club's property, about 300 acres surrounded by National Forest. It has a lot of dirt roads, a short-range firing line for pistols or plinking and a trap range. We brought along our son's 50cc ATV and our 150cc off-road "go-cart."
Ron, my brother-in-law, saw a place near his shop that rents motorcycles and quads. All they had left was a 400cc dirt bike, so he rents that. Ron has expereince on dirt bikes, so that is cool. By Saturday afternoon, though, the 4 boys divided by the one 50cc ATV and the go-cart is getting old. Ron decides that he will let his 12-year old, Matthew, try the 400. This would be fine, except that Matthew is short and cannot reach the pegs, the shift or the foot brake and his feet are at least a foot off the ground. Ron holds him up, runs along and starts him rolling - kinda like what you do with a kid on a bike. learning to ride. Matthew then steers back to his Dad, who catches him and the bike when Matthew is ready to stop.
I'm watching this, thinking - "This is going to end badly." Ron lets Matthew ride a couple of times that day, and now it is Sunday morning. I start packing up while it is cool so I can relax and put the ATV and go-cart on the trailer when we are ready to go. Ron takes off on the bike, giving each kid a ride in front of him on the bike. Then he sets Matthew up again. Matthew immediately runs the bike up this 6-foot embankment and Ron has to catch him and the bike. It is a struggle to keep everything up and avoid either of them getting hurt.
So Ron takes his son back onto the flat area, sets him up and lets him go. He then proceeds to sit in the shade and talk to his wife. Alex, the youngest of their sons, comes tearing up Mikey's ATV and yells to Matthew, "Let's race!" So they do, at 30 or 35 mph... until Matthew crashes the bike. Ron doesn't notice until Alex is yelling, and then Matthew starts screaming.
Ron comes up, looks at Matthew, and yells, "We have to go....NOW! June, we have to leave right now!" He grabs the bike and starts towards his truck to put the bike up. I carry Matthew over, put him on the bike trailer and start first aid. He has a one-inch diameter hole through his shin, all the way to the bone. Forunately, it does not look like it broke the bone, but it is bleeding profusely, of course. I help Ron get the bike onto his truck, throw the last of his stuff in the back, and give him directions to the nearest town. They get there, and the ambulance drivers who just happen to be there hear "motorcycle accident," and place Matthew on a body board and call for a helicopter to Santa Maria, 40 or 50 miles away.
We had taken Alex with us, so they had more room in their truck for Matthew to sit up front with his leg elevated on the dashboard. We hear nothing more until 10 PM that night - we were very worried since no one was answering their cel phones, either!
Now what is your take on this? To me, I wouldn't let my son ride a bicycle that left his feet hanging 12 inches or more off the ground, let alone a 400cc motorcycle in shorts and a tank top. At least he was wearing a helmet! By the time we heard from Ron and June last night, it had become "Boys will be boys." "I guess this is how they learn about motorcycles.." and so on. Like it was all nobody's fault... to me, I am thankful that 37 stitches solved the problem and it wasn't more serious!
At what point do you act like a parent and "just say No" or take responsibility? The kid might be unhappy or disappointed, but he would be unhurt. Maybe when they get the bill for the helicopter flight, they will look at it differently? For myself, now I feel guilty that I didn't say anything...but I don't think it would have done anything but gotten me told to mind my own business and raise my own kid.
Ron, my brother-in-law, saw a place near his shop that rents motorcycles and quads. All they had left was a 400cc dirt bike, so he rents that. Ron has expereince on dirt bikes, so that is cool. By Saturday afternoon, though, the 4 boys divided by the one 50cc ATV and the go-cart is getting old. Ron decides that he will let his 12-year old, Matthew, try the 400. This would be fine, except that Matthew is short and cannot reach the pegs, the shift or the foot brake and his feet are at least a foot off the ground. Ron holds him up, runs along and starts him rolling - kinda like what you do with a kid on a bike. learning to ride. Matthew then steers back to his Dad, who catches him and the bike when Matthew is ready to stop.
I'm watching this, thinking - "This is going to end badly." Ron lets Matthew ride a couple of times that day, and now it is Sunday morning. I start packing up while it is cool so I can relax and put the ATV and go-cart on the trailer when we are ready to go. Ron takes off on the bike, giving each kid a ride in front of him on the bike. Then he sets Matthew up again. Matthew immediately runs the bike up this 6-foot embankment and Ron has to catch him and the bike. It is a struggle to keep everything up and avoid either of them getting hurt.
So Ron takes his son back onto the flat area, sets him up and lets him go. He then proceeds to sit in the shade and talk to his wife. Alex, the youngest of their sons, comes tearing up Mikey's ATV and yells to Matthew, "Let's race!" So they do, at 30 or 35 mph... until Matthew crashes the bike. Ron doesn't notice until Alex is yelling, and then Matthew starts screaming.
Ron comes up, looks at Matthew, and yells, "We have to go....NOW! June, we have to leave right now!" He grabs the bike and starts towards his truck to put the bike up. I carry Matthew over, put him on the bike trailer and start first aid. He has a one-inch diameter hole through his shin, all the way to the bone. Forunately, it does not look like it broke the bone, but it is bleeding profusely, of course. I help Ron get the bike onto his truck, throw the last of his stuff in the back, and give him directions to the nearest town. They get there, and the ambulance drivers who just happen to be there hear "motorcycle accident," and place Matthew on a body board and call for a helicopter to Santa Maria, 40 or 50 miles away.
We had taken Alex with us, so they had more room in their truck for Matthew to sit up front with his leg elevated on the dashboard. We hear nothing more until 10 PM that night - we were very worried since no one was answering their cel phones, either!
Now what is your take on this? To me, I wouldn't let my son ride a bicycle that left his feet hanging 12 inches or more off the ground, let alone a 400cc motorcycle in shorts and a tank top. At least he was wearing a helmet! By the time we heard from Ron and June last night, it had become "Boys will be boys." "I guess this is how they learn about motorcycles.." and so on. Like it was all nobody's fault... to me, I am thankful that 37 stitches solved the problem and it wasn't more serious!
At what point do you act like a parent and "just say No" or take responsibility? The kid might be unhappy or disappointed, but he would be unhurt. Maybe when they get the bill for the helicopter flight, they will look at it differently? For myself, now I feel guilty that I didn't say anything...but I don't think it would have done anything but gotten me told to mind my own business and raise my own kid.
