To be shocked at this?

[upsideup]

DS1 has two friends round for dinner tonight, ones 8 and ones 9 and they have gone outside to play with bikes/scooters etc and both of his friends dont own a bike and have never been taught to ride one before and its not just them they all mentioned several other friends who cant as well.
I thought riding a bike was a still a pretty normal skill that all children had learnt to do by now.

AIBU to be shocked at this? Do most 8/9 year olds not know how to ride a bike?

Pickwick - your assumptions are wrong. My kids cycle. I can still have kids that cycle AND think that the OP and anyone else who take it for granted or are “shocked” are in the wrong. It was an patronising post to start with and nothing that’s been added has changed that. Poppy just joined to add herself to the Boden Bubble - other people live other lives - I don’t see why that’s so “shocking”..

I hate the phrase "Life skill" it's poorly concieved and sound clunky as hell.

'Life skill' what the hell is a LIFE skill!?? A skill for living? A skill for living well?

catinapoolofsunshine you have phrased it much better than I did! There are essential life skills and then ones that make life more fun . I think it's a shame that some children don't get the chance to learn to ride a bike.