Having a teen ride to school - endangerment?

[Claire]

>From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
privacy...)

---
Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
older boy scouts (actually
no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
overslept, and his mother told him to get
himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
---

So, what do you think? Endangerment?

Warm Regards,


Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr=ADal/Cpetersky

[lenny fackler]

Claire wrote:
> >From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
> privacy...)
>
> ---
> Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
> I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
> is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
> busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
> side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
> along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
> 4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
> older boy scouts (actually
> no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
> bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
> him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
> then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
> soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
> buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
> who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
> was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
> overslept, and his mother told him to get
> himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
> thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
> ---
>
> So, what do you think? Endangerment?
>
>

I don't know about endangerment, but 20 miles seems way too far for a
teenager to commute to school on a bike, even with good road
conditions.
When I missed the bus in hs I hitchhiked. Not as bad as it sounds.
Almost always a fellow student would pick me up within minutes.

[Zoot Katz]

2 Jun 2005 13:12:49 -0700,
. com>,
"lenny fackler" > wrote:

>I don't know about endangerment, but 20 miles seems way too far for a
>teenager to commute to school on a bike, even with good road
>conditions.

Twenty miles sounds like an exaggeration.
--
zk

[Fritz M]

Zoot Katz wrote:

> Twenty miles sounds like an exaggeration.

That's what I thought, too. Is this to a private or charter school
perhaps?

Back on topic: Teaching older teens independence and self-reliance is
no crime.

RFM

[Tom Keats]

In article . com>,
"Claire" > writes:

> Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
> thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
> ---
> So, what do you think? Endangerment?

I think:

1) getting mixed up in other people's parenting is getting
into some pretty skookum waters.

2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
had to miss a year for medical reasons.)

3) there's just not enough background info, and too many
holes in the story to gel an opinion. Does Len /need/
to rely on his parents for important decision-making?

When I add together:
a) that he apparently followed mom's orders to go straight
to school, without question (like a good soldier)

b) "Len was soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all
the drivers who had buzzed past him, splashed water all over
him, etc"

c) Len's age (kind of old for high school)

d) Ron's obvious concern about someone he knows better than us
in the peanut gallery

-- it /sounds/ like Len may have innocently misinterpreted or
misunderstood something somewhere along the line. IOW, maybe
mom meant for him to take the bus. I don't know the nicely-
laundered PC terminology, so I'll just be bluntly forthright --
I wonder if the kid might be a little "slow" when it comes to
mundane judgments & decisions, like for getting to school on
time, in one piece. And by "slow" I'm not saying "stupid", or
even "disabled"; far from it. FWIW, I was like that, myself,
until I got out of high school and started working in the real
world. And I was about Len's age when I got out of high school,
'cuz I failed a grade, and I was born in December, which makes
one about a year younger than someone born in January of the
same year. I also despised the regimentation of school (and
still do.) Anyhow, I turned out okay, despite a bunch of dumb
stuff I did.

4) the kid needs rain gear, and probably fenders. Lights wouldn't
hurt, either.

5) Maybe Len's mom is undergoing a complexity of feelings:
relief that he's all right & safe, consternation with
herself, worry about what might happen in the future, etc.
If so, I'd like her to know that it's been so much my
experience that stuff works itself out. A lot of life is
automagic, so don't worry about things you can't affect
anyway.

6) And to Ron I'd say: I think it's best to be /very/ familiar
with the dynamics of a particular family before dipping one's
oar in. And even then, think twice. Or thrice. But it's
good to have people lookin' out for ya, so good on ya for
lookin' out for Len.





cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

[Frank Drackman]

"Tom Keats" > wrote in message
...
> In article . com>,
> "Claire" > writes:
>
> 2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)
>
What are you talking about? It is normal for many seniors to be 18 when
they graduate high school.

[Mike Kruger]

"Claire" > wrote in message

> So, what do you think? Endangerment?

Not even close.

Teenage dynamics can be funny. One can imagine this:
Teenager oversleeps, despite being reminded to get up by alarm
clock and parent(s).
Argument results. Adults have to go to work, complain about
being late due to sleepy teenager.
Teenager doesn't like being reminded of his irresponsibility,
stalks out and in a gesture of independence starts riding the
bike to school, working up a nice martyrdom complex.
Parents consider their choices:
a. Continuing the argument while driving next to the
teenager as he rides his bike -- possibly for several miles
until somebody gives up.
b. Letting the kid learn, on his own, that oversleeping
has consequences.
c. Physically dragging the kid off the bike and forcing
him to do what you want him to do.

As for me, I'd go with (b).

Tom Keats had some good points, as well.

Mike Kruger
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

[Harris]

no comment about the endangerment question but wondering if this is really
from our Claire! In the years I've been lurking on this board I've never
seen her From listed as just 'Claire' but ALWAYS as Claire Petersky.

[Pat]

"Harris" > wrote in message
...
: no comment about the endangerment question but wondering if this is really
: from our Claire! In the years I've been lurking on this board I've never
: seen her From listed as just 'Claire' but ALWAYS as Claire Petersky.

It's not from the same account she always uses, either.


:
:

[AustinMN]

Harris wrote:
> no comment about the endangerment question but wondering if this is really
> from our Claire! In the years I've been lurking on this board I've never
> seen her From listed as just 'Claire' but ALWAYS as Claire Petersky.

I count four new threads started by Claire Petersky using the subject
account (that are still on my server).
"How the Other 90% lives" - 1/19/2005
"Rhymes with Orange cartoon yesterday" - 1/25/2005
"I lost my blinkie" - 5/10/2005
and this one.

Some of those, Claire participated in with her regular account and never
questioned their authenticity.

My vote is it's from Claire Petersky.

Austin
--
I'm pedaling as fast as I durn well please!
There are no X characters in my address

[Harris]

Austin, thanks for authenticating 'Claire'. I'll quietly retreat back to
lurking now. Harris

[animzmirot]

No endangerment, but the parents are insane. The kid wasn't in any real
danger, the parents were trying to make a point that he missed his
transportation and needed to get to school on his own. Taxis are good... so
are friends who drive. Riding a bike 20 miles to school in good weather is
kind of bizarre...kids need to shower when they get to school or else they
would reek all day long. A few miles, sure. 20 miles...the parents need some
advice, but nope, not endangerment.

[Rich]

Claire wrote:

> So, what do you think? Endangerment?

Not in my opinion. I think it was a good idea, and either the kid will
stop oversleeping or get in real good shape. All positives.

[OnTwoWheels]

When I was 16, I ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country. I ran
into several life threatening situations. A lot of kids are more capable
than adults on many levels. Look at how many posters to this thread think
20 miles is too far to ride a bike for an 18 year old! That 18 year old is
possibly more capable than they are. When I was 18, I could do anything I
could now, and moreso.



"Claire" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
privacy...)

---
Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
older boy scouts (actually
no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
overslept, and his mother told him to get
himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
---

So, what do you think? Endangerment?

Warm Regards,


Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr*al/Cpetersky

[Zoot Katz]

2 Jun 2005 18:22:48 -0700,
. com>, "Fritz M"
> wrote:

>> Twenty miles sounds like an exaggeration.
>
>That's what I thought, too. Is this to a private or charter school
>perhaps?

Possibly as a 20 mile radius would represent a huge catchment area for
a secondary school except maybe in the boonies of Montana or Wyoming.
--
zk

[Bob]

Claire wrote:
> >From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
> privacy...)
>
> ---
> Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
> I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
> is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
> busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
> side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
> along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
> 4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
> older boy scouts (actually
> no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
> bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
> him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
> then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
> soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
> buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
> who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
> was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
> overslept, and his mother told him to get
> himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
> thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
> ---
>
> So, what do you think? Endangerment?

I presume Ron meant child endangerment so if someone in these exact
circumstances called me in an official capacity I'd have to ask them,
"Endangerment of who and how? He may not be your idea of an adult but
at 18 the law says Len is an adult. That he decided to ride a lousy
route to school and got caught out by a violent rainstorm doesn't make
him a child. Hopefully it will just encourage him to not oversleep and
maybe make him a better route planner."
In an unofficial capacity I'd probably laugh and tell them to buy the
kid an alarm clock and some raingear.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

[wafflycat]

"Claire" > wrote in message
oups.com...

So, what do you think? Endangerment?

In that case I'm a seriously bad mother. My teenage son regularly cycles a
26-mile round trip to college & back. His previous school which was an
11-mile round trip he used to regularly cycle to. Before he did it himself,
his Dad and/or I used to cycle with him. Of course, I do happen to have a
teenager who is fit, healthy, confident, outgoing and learning to deal with
the risks life throws at him. He's caring (just watch how he relates to
animals and takes an active part in the medicating of our cat with a chronic
illness), and I can take him anywhere and know he won't let me down. But
what the heck, I must obviously be a bad mother....

Cheers, helen s

[dragonlady]

In article . com>,
"Claire" > wrote:

> >From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
> privacy...)
>
> ---
> Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
> I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
> is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
> busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
> side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
> along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
> 4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
> older boy scouts (actually
> no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
> bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
> him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
> then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
> soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
> buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
> who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
> was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
> overslept, and his mother told him to get
> himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
> thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
> ---
>
> So, what do you think? Endangerment?
>
> Warm Regards,
>
>
> Claire Petersky
> Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
> See the books I've set free at:
> http://bookcrossing.com/referr*al/Cpetersky
>

Nope.

We don't know how often Len oversleeps so he misses the bus -- but it
strikes me as reasonable to expect an 18 yo to get up early or get
himself to school.

It sounds harsh, and not something I would do if missing the bus was a
once-in-a-while thing (and possibly not in bad weather -- but I'm a
pushover), but assuming that this was the standard in that house -- get
out of bed on time to catch the bus or get yourself to school -- I'm not
so sure this was unreasonable, even if he had been 16 or 17.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[dragonlady]

In article >,
(Tom Keats) wrote:

> 2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)

Very few kids graduate from high school before their 18th birthday.
Graduating after their 19th birthday is not terribly uncommon, either.
This time of year, most seniors are 18, so there is nothing at all
unusual about an 18 year old being in high school.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[Ericka Kammerer]

dragonlady wrote:


> We don't know how often Len oversleeps so he misses the bus -- but it
> strikes me as reasonable to expect an 18 yo to get up early or get
> himself to school.
>
> It sounds harsh, and not something I would do if missing the bus was a
> once-in-a-while thing (and possibly not in bad weather -- but I'm a
> pushover), but assuming that this was the standard in that house -- get
> out of bed on time to catch the bus or get yourself to school -- I'm not
> so sure this was unreasonable, even if he had been 16 or 17.

Hmmm...I rather disagree, I think (assuming the details
are accurate in the story). I don't think it's endangerment,
particularly given the age. However, if the riding conditions
are unsafe (and riding along a busy road in terrible weather
doesn't sound particularly safe for anyone at any age), and
the child had no other way to get to school other than the bike,
then I would have looked for another consequence to oversleeping.
There are a zillion and one ways to enforce some sort of consequence
for missing the bus that don't have the huge potential downside of
riding in truly unsafe conditions. If the conditions were not as
unsafe as they seem to be, I might change my mind, but they surely
don't sound like conditions I would consider a reasonable choice.
I'm sure I wouldn't have to stress my creative abilities too hard
to come up with a consequence that got him to school safely while
still making him regret not taking responsibility for getting up
on time.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Rosalie B.]

"wafflycat" <waffles*A*T*v21net*D*O*T*co*D*O*T*uk> wrote:
>"Claire" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
>So, what do you think? Endangerment?
>
>In that case I'm a seriously bad mother. My teenage son regularly cycles a
>26-mile round trip to college & back. His previous school which was an
>11-mile round trip he used to regularly cycle to. Before he did it himself,
>his Dad and/or I used to cycle with him. Of course, I do happen to have a

Before my son got his driver's license, he used to ride down to the
barn on his bike - he was about 14. But since we have so many Amish
in the county, almost all the roads, and certainly all the main
highways have broad carriage width shoulders.

At 16 to 17, dd#2 rode a motorcycle down to the barn before 6 am
because she wasn't allowed to be out on the road at that hour in a car
on a provisional license but there wasn't a restriction on the
motorcycle license.

This same dd was taking adult evening classes (which she could drive
to) and she was run off the road coming home on a Tuesday night by
another driver who I presume was drunk or otherwise impaired. There
was no damage because she reacted quickly.

While I don't think that having a high school student (regardless of
age) riding 20 miles to school on a bike is child endangerment, I do
think that there might be a problem if the riding conditions were
horrible as stated (raining very hard on a road with no shoulders and
a lot of speeding traffic).

But it wouldn't have anything to do with the bike rider's age. If it
was dangerous, it would be dangerous whatever the age of the person.

>teenager who is fit, healthy, confident, outgoing and learning to deal with
>the risks life throws at him. He's caring (just watch how he relates to
>animals and takes an active part in the medicating of our cat with a chronic
>illness), and I can take him anywhere and know he won't let me down. But
>what the heck, I must obviously be a bad mother....
>
>Cheers, helen s

grandma Rosalie

[Barbara Bomberger]

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 18:29:37 -0700, (Tom Keats)
wrote:

>In article . com>,
> "Claire" > writes:
>
>> Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
>> thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
>> ---
>> So, what do you think? Endangerment?
>
>I think:
>
>1) getting mixed up in other people's parenting is getting
> into some pretty skookum waters.
>
>2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)

At least half my son's high school will be eighteen with they
graduate. I dont see this as abnormal, in JUne. Everyone whose
birthday was from january one to the present day will be eighteen.

Barb

[Barbara Bomberger]

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 00:46:27 -0400, "animzmirot" >
wrote:

>No endangerment, but the parents are insane. The kid wasn't in any real
>danger, the parents were trying to make a point that he missed his
>transportation and needed to get to school on his own. Taxis are good... so
>are friends who drive. Riding a bike 20 miles to school in good weather is
>kind of bizarre...kids need to shower when they get to school or else they
>would reek all day long. A few miles, sure. 20 miles...the parents need some
>advice, but nope, not endangerment.

My husband rides his bike close tothat and doesnt always need a
shower. In very hot weather perhaps, but not in normal spring
weather.
>

[Barbara Bomberger]

On 2 Jun 2005 12:49:09 -0700, "Claire" > wrote:

>>From a parenting list I'm on -- comments? (Names changed to protect
>privacy...)
>
>---
>Someone was talking about kids walking or riding their bikes to school.
> I would never let my kids ride to the high school. For one thing, it
>is 20 miles away, and for another, over half of that is on two lane
>busy roads with no shoulder, and usually high embankments on either
>side. A few weeks ago, Ron took the day off and happened to be heading
>along that road at about 9 am, on a day when we had a monsoon. (We had
>4 3/4 inches of rain in less than 12 hours!) He came across one of his
>older boy scouts (actually
>no longer a scout, but an Asst. Scoutmaster, because he is 18), on his
>bike, along that road. Ron stopped, turned around and went back for
>him. Luckily he was driving the truck, and could take Len to school
>then take his bike home for him so he could ride the bus home. Len was
>soaked, thoroughly chilled, and terrified, from all the drivers who had
>buzzed past him, splashed water all over him, etc. (And this is a kid
>who does regularly ride his bike to school for various things, so it
>was the conditions and not the road that terrified him.) He had
>overslept, and his mother told him to get
>himself to school. Ron said if Len hadn't been over 18, he would have
>thought about reporting his mother for endangerment.
>---
>
>So, what do you think? Endangerment?

If my child oversleeps he has to get himself there. He also does not
get an "excused tardy" note from me.

The twenty miles sounds like an exxageration.

However, all and all, even at sixteen or seventeen this sounds like a
common sense issue for the boy.
>
>Warm Regards,
>
>
>Claire Petersky
>Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
>See the books I've set free at:
>http://bookcrossing.com/referr*al/Cpetersky

[Matt O'Toole]

animzmirot wrote:

> No endangerment, but the parents are insane. The kid wasn't in any
> real danger, the parents were trying to make a point that he missed
> his transportation and needed to get to school on his own. Taxis are
> good... so are friends who drive. Riding a bike 20 miles to school in
> good weather is kind of bizarre...kids need to shower when they get
> to school or else they would reek all day long. A few miles, sure. 20
> miles...the parents need some advice, but nope, not endangerment.

Teenagers who are reasonably fit can ride 20 miles with no sweat, literally. If
that's really a problem, don't most high schools have gym areas with showers and
locker rooms?

I often rode my bike 10 miles to school, because it was faster than walking to
the train station, waiting for the train, riding the train, then walking to
school. (35min vs. 1hr) It let me do things on my own schedule, and gave me
more flexibility in where I could go. For example I could get to swim practice
at 6am, which was too early for the train, and to work after school; which was
miles from the nearest train station. Traffic was horrendous. I rode through
incredible downpours. It never bothered me one bit.

Matt O.

[Matt O'Toole]

dragonlady wrote:

> In article >,
> (Tom Keats) wrote:
>
>> 2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
>> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
>> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
>> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)
>
> Very few kids graduate from high school before their 18th birthday.
> Graduating after their 19th birthday is not terribly uncommon, either.
> This time of year, most seniors are 18, so there is nothing at all
> unusual about an 18 year old being in high school.

That doesn't make sense. Almost half the student body in a typical American
high school would be18, if you figure half the kids are born between the usual
age/grade cutoff date in December, and graduation in mid-June. I was born in
January, so I was one of the oldest in my class.

Matt O.

[Steve]

In misc.kids Barbara Bomberger > wrote:
> On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 00:46:27 -0400, "animzmirot" >
> wrote:

>>No endangerment, but the parents are insane. The kid wasn't in any real
>>danger, the parents were trying to make a point that he missed his
>>transportation and needed to get to school on his own. Taxis are good... so
>>are friends who drive. Riding a bike 20 miles to school in good weather is
>>kind of bizarre...kids need to shower when they get to school or else they
>>would reek all day long. A few miles, sure. 20 miles...the parents need some
>>advice, but nope, not endangerment.

> My husband rides his bike close tothat and doesnt always need a
> shower. In very hot weather perhaps, but not in normal spring
> weather.
>>

If this kid could average a 20 mph (extremely fast), he'd spend an hour
getting to school. He would definitely need a shower afterwards.

But this whole argument is moot. There's no way the story is accurate
even if it is based in reality. A test run riding to the school (12 mph)
would previously prove the ride takes an hour and forty minutes.
Anything faster is a race. Not the grandma cancer race either.

Translation:
Hi parenting group, my mom, I mean, uh I know this kid, really mean
parents, who made me, I mean, their kid ... should I report them to
CPS?

[AustinMN]

Claire wrote:
<snip>

> So, what do you think? Endangerment?

No, not endangerment.

But...I have a much more effective technique up my sleeve, should I need it.
;)

So far, my ds (14) has been very responsible about getting out the door on
time (missed the bus twice in a year). If he were to make it a habit, I
would shortcut the bus route to get to a stop before the bus. I would then
wait for the bus to arrive, and make a point of giving him a hug and kiss
before he got on the bus. I'm sure getting a hug and kiss from his father
in front of a whole busload of friends (or enemies, for that matter) would
be much more effective than making him ride his bike 20 miles.

I'd like to see someone decide a hug and a kiss is endangerment.

Austin
--
I'm pedaling as fast as I durn well please!
There are no X characters in my address

[Shelly]

> Teenagers who are reasonably fit can ride 20 miles with no sweat,
> literally. If
> that's really a problem, don't most high schools have gym areas with
> showers and
> locker rooms?
>
> I often rode my bike 10 miles to school, because it was faster than
> walking to
> the train station, waiting for the train, riding the train, then walking
> to
> school. (35min vs. 1hr) It let me do things on my own schedule, and gave
> me
> more flexibility in where I could go. For example I could get to swim
> practice
> at 6am, which was too early for the train, and to work after school; which
> was
> miles from the nearest train station. Traffic was horrendous. I rode
> through
> incredible downpours. It never bothered me one bit.
>
> Matt O.
>

I never rode to high school, but biked 18 miles each way in college when I
was still living at home. It really isn't as far as it sounds for someone
who is in shape and used to riding. Of course, I'd have a hard time doing it
now! ;) And rain and snow are just part of the joys of commuting by bike
where I am from.

-Shelly

[dragonlady]

In article >,
"Matt O'Toole" > wrote:

> dragonlady wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > (Tom Keats) wrote:
> >
> >> 2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
> >> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
> >> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
> >> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)
> >
> > Very few kids graduate from high school before their 18th birthday.
> > Graduating after their 19th birthday is not terribly uncommon, either.
> > This time of year, most seniors are 18, so there is nothing at all
> > unusual about an 18 year old being in high school.
>
> That doesn't make sense. Almost half the student body in a typical American
> high school would be18, if you figure half the kids are born between the usual
> age/grade cutoff date in December, and graduation in mid-June. I was born in
> January, so I was one of the oldest in my class.
>
> Matt O.
>
>

Actually, well over half of the high school seniors are 18 when they
graduate -- the age/grade cuttoff varies all over the country, but when
my kids started school it was September 1 or October 1 (October for the
older child, who then graduated at 17, September for the younger two,
who graduated at the more typical age of 18.)

Of the six kids in my family, five of us were 18 when we graduated, one
was 17.

In a quick survey of friends whose kids have graduated in the past five
years or so, almost all of their kids graduated at 18; one was 17, and
one was 19.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[dragonlady]

In article >,
"AustinMN" > wrote:

> Claire wrote:
> <snip>
>
> > So, what do you think? Endangerment?
>
> No, not endangerment.
>
> But...I have a much more effective technique up my sleeve, should I need it.
> ;)
>
> So far, my ds (14) has been very responsible about getting out the door on
> time (missed the bus twice in a year). If he were to make it a habit, I
> would shortcut the bus route to get to a stop before the bus. I would then
> wait for the bus to arrive, and make a point of giving him a hug and kiss
> before he got on the bus. I'm sure getting a hug and kiss from his father
> in front of a whole busload of friends (or enemies, for that matter) would
> be much more effective than making him ride his bike 20 miles.
>
> I'd like to see someone decide a hug and a kiss is endangerment.
>
> Austin

I used to tell my kids that if they were caught skipping school, I'd
attend school WITH them to make sure they went to all their classes --
and I'd wear my pink fuzzy jogging suit (they refused to be seen in
public with me when I was wearing it, as they all thought it was
phenominally ugly).

Actually when my oldest WAS skipping, I DID attend classes with her for
a full day (which she found pretty humiliating), but I didn't add to
her humiliation by wearing ugly clothes.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

[Rosalie B.]

dragonlady > wrote:

>In article >,
> "Matt O'Toole" > wrote:
>
>> dragonlady wrote:
>>
>> > In article >,
>> > (Tom Keats) wrote:
>> >
>> >> 2) are we talking about high school? If so, 18+ is rather
>> >> old, but not extremely so (Len may have been born late
>> >> in the year and so started later, or failed a grade, or
>> >> had to miss a year for medical reasons.)
>> >
>> > Very few kids graduate from high school before their 18th birthday.
>> > Graduating after their 19th birthday is not terribly uncommon, either.
>> > This time of year, most seniors are 18, so there is nothing at all
>> > unusual about an 18 year old being in high school.
>>
>> That doesn't make sense. Almost half the student body in a typical American
>> high school would be18, if you figure half the kids are born between the usual
>> age/grade cutoff date in December, and graduation in mid-June. I was born in
>> January, so I was one of the oldest in my class.
>>
>> Matt O.
>>
>>
>
>Actually, well over half of the high school seniors are 18 when they
>graduate -- the age/grade cuttoff varies all over the country, but when
>my kids started school it was September 1 or October 1 (October for the
>older child, who then graduated at 17, September for the younger two,
>who graduated at the more typical age of 18.)
>
>Of the six kids in my family, five of us were 18 when we graduated, one
>was 17.
>
>In a quick survey of friends whose kids have graduated in the past five
>years or so, almost all of their kids graduated at 18; one was 17, and
>one was 19.

I was 17.5 since the cut-off when I went to school was in mid Nov, and
my bd was just a couple days earlier (we had half years back then).,
and my sister was 16 (she skipped 1st grade) or had just turned 17
depending on when graduation was because her bd was at the very
beginning of June.. DH was 18 - he's a year and 8 months older than I
am and he was a year ahead of me in school. We met in HS BTW.

DD#1 and DD#2 were 17 because they turned 18 in the fall of the year
they graduated. DD#3 was 18 because her birthday was in May before
graduation, and DS who was red-shirted was 18.5 because his birthday
was in January.


grandma Rosalie

[Matt O'Toole]

Shelly wrote:

> I never rode to high school, but biked 18 miles each way in college
> when I was still living at home. It really isn't as far as it sounds
> for someone who is in shape and used to riding. Of course, I'd have a
> hard time doing it now! ;) And rain and snow are just part of the
> joys of commuting by bike where I am from.

I feel that way about it too. In CA I used to pay $45 for a lift ticket to get
the same kind of thrill! Now I get it for free. I spent most of my high school
years another country, where hardly anyone rode bikes. Everyone took public
transport and walked. No one was chauffered either -- that was considered
babyish, even if it was pouring rain. If kids were driven to school they would
get dropped off around the corner so no one would see, especially if their
parents had a fancy car. The only thing worse than being a baby was being a
posh baby. Most kids would arrive soaked to the core before being chauffered.

When I came back to my US high school, most people still rode bikes. There were
so many that the bike corrals were full. If you didn't get there early enough
it was hard to find anything but a chain link fence to lock to. It was only
after I graduated in '82 that bike use started to decline. By the time my
brother's class got through in '89, hardly anyone rode anymore.

Matt O.

[Penny Gaines]

Barbara Bomberger wrote:

> The twenty miles sounds like an exxageration.

It sounds like it could be a car driver's "20 miles", which IME is
anything between 15 miles and 30 miles.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

[tracert]

"Penny Gaines" > wrote in message
...
> Barbara Bomberger wrote:
>
>> The twenty miles sounds like an exxageration.
>
> It sounds like it could be a car driver's "20 miles", which IME is
> anything between 15 miles and 30 miles.
>
> --
> Penny Gaines
> UK mum to three


FWIW, the OP said that SHE lived 20 miles from her kids high school...not
that the biking kid did.