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Not to spark a huge debate but....

4K views 35 replies 21 participants last post by  Aznzing03 
#1 ·
Found this article. Thought it was an interesting read. Comments on the post are almost more entertaining.


https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/a-mom-is-fighting-back-after-she-was-shamed-for-letting-her?utm_term=.axdBEXYy7m#.axdBEXYy7m
 
#2 ·
I doubt any of those posting against it are riders. If the mother trusts the rider and they put protective gear on the kid, it's none of my business. The law says 5 years old with a helmet. They should also be able to reach the foot pegs.

I asked my grandson if he wanted to go for a ride. He told me he wouldn't feel safe. That's okay with me. If he wanted to, I'd ask his mother.
 
#3 ·
I only skimmed through some of the comments and came to the same conclusion. I doubt any of the negative responders have ever thrown a leg over a bike!

"If you want to keep your child in a bubble, by all means go for it. If you wouldn't allow your child on the back of a motorcycle, then don't, that's your choice as a parent and I support you. But do not call us bad parents because we don't lock our kids in their bedroom with iPads and cell phones. Don't call us bad parents for allowing our children to experience LIVING."

"I won't keep my child from riding just because a handful of close minded, ignorant people think they are the definition of a "perfect parent"."

I support the responsible mother :thumb
 
#6 ·
When i was a small boy i liked riding on the back of the moped with my dad or my uncle. I'm not even sure i wore a helmet back then :hmmmmm

I guess when it comes to raising kids, a lot of parents in the US of A are going nuts.
Recently there was a documentary about a german journalist who had moved to the USA with her three kids. One of the things they told was about a mother who let her kids play alone on the other side of the street. Someone called the cops who told her that she might get prosecuted if she did that again. And apparently that's not an isolated case: Source: CNN
 
#16 ·
I guess when it comes to raising kids, a lot of parents in the US of A are going nuts.
Recently there was a documentary about a german journalist who had moved to the USA with her three kids. One of the things they told was about a mother who let her kids play alone on the other side of the street. Someone called the cops who told her that she might get prosecuted if she did that again. And apparently that's not an isolated case: Source: CNN
Depends on the state. Believe that was Maryland, now populated hugely by Federal employees. Zero problem here and south or west for sure. Those Maryland parents finally won their case in court though. Cost a lot and took a long time.

BTW, our educational system is screwed up. Too much "self-esteem" and "everybody gets a trophy" mentality/brainwashing for two decades. This has leeched into our universities where students are conditioned to cry if they don't have a "safe place" to hide from opposing "programming". Very sad...

As for riding, fortunately my son was very large for his age, always helped me maintain my bikes, and two years after this snap was riding with me everywhere. Always ATGATT though and finding gear that size was a challenge but possible = $$$. :D

Given your laws there these days, bet kids have a hard time riding on the back? I'm aware licensing has become a TON more challenging in the last 10 - 15 years and VERY costly. :(

http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/275070-1/MotoChip.jpg
 
#7 ·
I'm so frakking sick of all of this "shaming."

I rode all over the place with my parents on their bikes starting younger than that. Somehow I lived, and I ride now because of that!

The haters can suck it.
 
#35 ·
I'm so frakking sick of all of this "shaming."
Wouldn't it be something if everyone who whined on Twitter or Facebook or whatever, had to back up that whine with 100 hours of community service.

So if you whine about this picture, are you going to try and educate people to the so-called danger,...going to petition whoever will listen, develop safe riding material to petition Congress or why it should be BANNED etc lol

But you know what would happen?

Silence. And the end of whining on social media,...and dammit, some people just live for a cause which has no traction 5 minutes after the initial butthurtness sets in. :surprise:
 
#8 ·
My parents used to have one of those Pontiac station wagons with the rear facing third seat. If you rear ended one with kids in the back you had dead and dying children all over the hood of your car. Glad we never got rear ended.
:surprise:
 
#9 ·
Gunner seat! Admit it, you pretended you were a tail gunner on a WWII bomber. I know I did.

I actually had one of these in my 2000 Volvo V70R. Knowing Volvo's penchant for safety, it was curious.
 
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#10 ·
Bloody hell....let kids be kids...there's nothing cooler in the world for a kid than to get grandad give 'em a little blast up and down the street on a bike.....I did it with my kid, and with with the grandkids, even when they were tiny...just sit 'em between me and the tank and give them a little treat....not MotoGP laps, just a 1st gear tootle, and they're converted for life....you can't ever get moments like that back.
 
#11 ·
I would have had no problem doing the exact same thing with either of my kids. I would have added a set of "love handles" to my gear, to ensure they had a firm hand-hold in case wheelies required, though. :Naughty
 
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#14 ·
Dad use to sit me in front of him on his bike. I'd be held in place by his thighs as I held onto either side of the tank. His arms were on either side of me as we rode down the road. I loved it and felt safe with his helmet sliding around on my head and reaching forward to beep the horn. Great memories....shoot somebody might be tarred and feathered for that now days.
Come to think of it,he may have even had a cigarette in his mouth!!!
Times sure have changed.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
Come to think of it,he may have even had a cigarette in his mouth!!!
That cigarette was not put out to fuel the bikes either.
Wonder why any of us lived. Must of been how we controlled the surplus population
 
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#18 ·
You guys must have been rich. We couldn't afford the faux wood. We did love riding in the back of that car. We used to fight over who got to sit back there.
 
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#21 ·
What!!!!??? You can't get sick of ABBA dude, you just can't.......I could rock out all day to Agnetha and the gang doing 'The Winner Takes It All" & "Knowing Me, Knowing You"...well, maybe except for that Bjorn dude or whoever played the guitar...that dude was a schmuck, just making up numbers....he still got to mix it up with Agnetha though, so he definitely deserves credit for that.

B@stard!
 
#24 ·
The world today is full of useless people with nothing better to do than criticise and deride others, especially if they dare to be different. And the Internet is the perfect stage for them to soapbox their opinions.

The Pink Floyd song lyrics ring through my head when I encounter such "non-people" - "If I had my way, I'd have all of them shot".
 
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#27 ·
I would love to take any of my grandkids for a ride, and they range in age from 2 to 21. But I am the first in my extended family to ride a motorcycle, and even when my kids were young they rarely showed any interest in riding with me. My youngest son (now 40) rode with me a bit when he was a kid, and then bought his own bike when he was about 18. For several years we rode together, but now as a father of two he doesn't own a bike and doesn't want his kids to ride with this old man. My other grandkids, maybe due to their parents somewhat anti-bike attitudes, have never expressed any interest in getting on a motorcycle, either as rider or passenger. I know that some of them brag about their old grandfather riding a motorcycle, but that hasn't translated into their personal interest in riding.

I had always dreamed of someday going for a group ride with several of my grandkids on their own bikes. But alas, that seems to be a dream that will never materialize. I have to settle for my own enjoyment of riding as long as I am able to.
 
#29 ·
Reminds me of a lass in one of the local SoCal rider groups....can't barely get one tippy-toe down at a stop....nevermind two. Lass dropped her bike once on a group ride (in the parking lot) and I helped her get it back up..."How many times have you dropped this thing??"....."That was the 18th!"

Total respect for someone that determined to keep going in the face of adversity. And when the bike is actually moving???......She's fast as all hell!

I hate people like that....next time I think I'll leave her there and she can pick her own frickin' bike up....gives me a headstart!
 
#30 ·
If she is that fast maybe you should give her a shove so you can out run her while she is picking up the bike.
 
#33 ·
Yeah, Nelson....I know they do runs up that way, I went on one of them....for the life of me I can't recall her name, but she's a well known local lass in riding circles for her er, 'balls'.....'group ride leader' or whatever with a local forum.
 
#34 ·
I'm raising my glass to all those outstanding citizens out there who know whats best for our kids and grandkids! Now an even bigger toast to my parents, who were smart enough to know how ignorant they are!! Thanks for the Honda Mini Trail Dad back in '73, even though you were creating an irresponsible monster!!
 
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