Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Original poster

to think the lollipop lady shoildn't tell my son that he shouldn't ride his bike standing up?

137 replies

adamadamum · 01/10/2010 23:16

My son is six,and after having a bike for a while, I am letting him ride it to school (on the pavement, very carefully, with a helmet, and he has great manners anyway so no bumping into people!)

Anyway, after seeing Mighty Mites on CBeebies, he has learnt a new skill, to ride standing up, all part of BMX training stuff. (And I will happy to get him a BMX bike in the future, finances/circumstances permitting)

Yesterday, coming out of school my son was upset. He said the lollipop lady had said to him that he shouldn't ride his bike standing up - a skill he had learnt on Cbeebies! When he does this, it's only for thirty seconds or so! We were a few yards up the road when he explained why he was upset, so I suggested we return and politely explain why he was upset, for HIS closure...so we went back and very politely got the lollipop lady's attention. My son said he was upset, I told her that i had given my son permission to ride standing up

OP posts:

TechLovingDad · 02/10/2010 14:39

Or a Sinclair C5.

Indaba · 02/10/2010 14:45

Am with pointydog

YABU I'm afraid!

marge2 · 02/10/2010 14:51

I honestly can't see what is wrong with riding standing up, once you are good enough to do it. It's not unsafe in itself as far as I can see. I wouldn't call it a stunt at all. My sons, 5 and 7, do it all the time - sometimes it's the only way to get enough power to go up a hill. Riding on the pavement, isn't great, but sometimes safer than the road. Depends on the road.
I woudn't have gone back to speak to anyone about it though. Funny how school rules are different. Our's positively encourages biking to school as we have parking problems around the school area.

DurhamDurham · 02/10/2010 14:53

See this is why I joined Mumsnet. Op posts something highly ridiculous and then just sits back and enjoys herself. She hasn't reacted to anything what has been said. I'm still new to this so does that usually mean thet it's all been made up rubbish....or have you all scared her away?!

I don't think anyone could really talk about a 6 year old child and closure and expect anyone to take her seriously. Do people that smug,precious and poncy really exsist?

TechLovingDad · 02/10/2010 14:57

I hope they do, durhamdurham or my mockery has been wasted.

cory · 02/10/2010 15:07

If the lollipop lady spoke to him about it, and his own mum sees it as part of the BMX stunts he has been learning (rather than just ordinary bike riding), then it is just possible that it did look dodgy.

TechLovingDad · 02/10/2010 15:15

Maybe the OP it Tony Hawk(s).

bluebellwood · 02/10/2010 15:41

So glad OP's ds isn't in my class!
You owe the lollipop lady an apology, OP.
Please, responsible adults, correct/reprimand/advise my dd when necessary.Her safety and wellbeing is everything to me.

mloo · 02/10/2010 15:55

I think the main safety concern should be more to do with riding on crowded pavement near the crowded school entrance at all, rather than to do with standing up or not.

I don't have issues with riding to school on pavement or standing up riding either (actually DC have moved onto lots of hands free ), but there's a time and place...

Wallace · 02/10/2010 16:22

Standing up on pedals is a normal part of cycling (and something my ds has been doing since he was 2) but standing on a crossbar is a stunt (and something my ds only learnt to do when he was 3 )

I need to know which it was, otherwise I cannot comment on this issue and will never get closure

tyler80 · 02/10/2010 17:13

Yes Wallace we need to do

Was he doing stuff like or just not sitting down and thus dangerously out of control

tyler80 · 02/10/2010 17:15

edit: need to know

backwardpossom · 02/10/2010 17:42

In my very humble opinion, the OP's DS was asked to do something by an adult in a responsible position and he should bloody well just do as he's told. No wonder kids come up to Secondary and say things like "you can't tell me what to do"...

Where's my closure? ;)

ivykaty44 · 02/10/2010 17:53

I am failing to see why standing up on the pedals is not safe but seating down is safe?

I don't understand what is wrong with standing and rideing - I thought it was what all boys did, your balance is far better the younger you are and when you get old like me and can't seem to balance over things that your young chidlren can - its sad

but this lad is young and can ride

the accident further up with the chidl with her poor foot in the car - she wasn't rideing a bike and really isn't relvant as a reaosn not to ride your bike stood on the pedals

whether you go back and tell the lollipop lady to mind her as she felt she was helping - but soemtimes people think they are helping and make it worse. the teacher at school that told me I shouldn't corss the road when the traffic lights where on green - she was wrong and hadn't tought about which lights I meant when she asked -my mum had it all sorted and the teacher confused me the tracher thought she was helping

ivykaty44 · 02/10/2010 17:56

90% of school chidlren in junior and secondary - when aksed if they would like to ride to school rather than any other transport - sad yes they would

unfortunately they don't cause it isn't safe is the parents answer - if all the school chidlren rode to school - there woudl be hundreds of bikes on the roads every morning - and the cars would have to negogiate careully - the few cars let on the roads to school

it would be safely in numbers for biking to school

omnishambles · 02/10/2010 18:02

Re the pavement thing - it honestly is safe where I am because we are almost literally the only people walking - everyone else is in their bloody big lexus 4X4s. Making it totally unsafe on the roads - beside which I am walking and he is cycling as its the only way to get ds's bike to school for cycling club - we dont drive so cant take the bike to school in the car like the rest of his year sigh.

ivykaty44 · 02/10/2010 18:07

but the law allows children to cycle on the pavemtns anyway and it isn't until they are over 16 they get fined for doing so - though legislation was set for a common sense opprach and where the road was very busy and little use of pavemtns - then the cyclist could ride on the pavemtns.

i passe two miles of pavemtns each morning this week driving my dd2 to school - no one yet seen on the pavement next to a b road, why it could n't be cycled on I have no idea, it would make a good cycle path to the school

dd has a bus pass but is unable to get to school on the bus or cycle at the moment so am taking her in car

PatriciaHolm · 02/10/2010 18:15

Loads of the pavements around here are half pedestrian and half cycle, so we cycle to school all the time. That said, it's the traffic wardens job to look out for the childrens safety- the default should be to do what he/she says.

singingmum · 02/10/2010 18:26

YANBU it's normal for a child to ride standing up and by the sounds of the orig post he didn't have far to go and you were with him.I am more shocked that the lollipop lady had never seen this before is she new.
Wish people wouldn't wrap kids in cotton wool when it comes to normal stuff like bikes however would not have said closure as such.Glad you reassured the lollipop lady that she doesn't have to worry about your son as you feel confident in his ability

diddl · 03/10/2010 07:45

"YANBU it's normal for a child to ride standing up"

Really?

ragged · 03/10/2010 09:34

It's normal for children who feel confident to try it and be completely successful, yes Diddl. My kids are very physically confident; that's normal in our family. My kids leap off of trampolines, climb to the highest point in playgrounds, go down the slides backwards, scramble over fences some other parents go into nervous flaps watching all that, convinced my kids will come a cropper (eldest and boldest DC is nearly 11, and never been injured doing any of that). Other seemingly "normal" things my kids can't do easily at all like speaking clearly, or shrugging off minor criticisms..

proudnglad · 03/10/2010 09:39

I'm still sniggering about getting 'closure'

violethill · 03/10/2010 10:26

I don't think its the standing up that's the issue, it's riding on the bloody pavement!! I'm surprised no one else has had a go before now! And no, there isn't a law which states it's permissible to cycle on pavements! Its simply the case that under a certain age , you can't be prosecuted. That doesn't mean its allowed! Maybe the boy can cycle perfectly competently standing up- but the point is, he should not be riding on a pavement particularly just outside primary school where there are no doubt loads of young pedestrians, babies in pushchairs etc. And as for closure....... Words fail me'!

omnishambles · 03/10/2010 10:37

gah its not the case at all violethill - if your dc is going along at the same speed at a pushchair/pedestrian then he is not endangering other pavement users at all - it s absolutely the case that it is how you ride on the pavement that is the issue rather than whether you are on the pavement at all - \i think the opportunities for learning to cycle and indeed cycling outweight the risk of my ds being on the pavement.

After all they manage mixed usage in many european countries and indeed we manage it at centerparcs.

Agree its different when older dcs are bombing around on pavements but when they afre that competent then they should be on the roads. Its a common sense thing as well as a risk assessment thing.

VictorianIce · 03/10/2010 10:40

YABU to watch Mighty Mites.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Swipe left for the next trending thread