Are we asking for trouble when we provide our children with the means to escape at a pace that exceeds our comfortable jog?
My son is turning three soon and we are contemplating buying him his first bike. He is currently a scooter boy, but we know he would love a bike too (if he can work out that he needs to invest pedal power to propel himself). My concern is that we are giving him another tool with which to escape our calls of ‘STOP!’ and ‘WAIT’ and the wrath that ensues.
On the weekend we had just that scenario, but on his scooter. He can really get some speed up and is very proficient in whipping around corners and swerving to avoid poles. He can also stop…if he chooses to. A tired and irritable toddler, he decided to ignore my request, then demand and then plea to stop scooting – he was heading towards a laneway that cars use. He pushed on down the hill and out of view. Dilemma: Do I sprint after him to avoid the ‘screech…thud’ that could follow, or will that just spur him on to scoot even faster?
I sprinted, grabbed, scolded and banned the scooter for the rest of the afternoon.
Am I asking for trouble if I buy him that bike?
