jesusluvspegging wrote:

Kids aren't allowed to bike to school any more

The school’s reason for the no-biking policy is primarily one of safety, Principal Stuart Byrne said.

“I would be a nervous wreck every day if kids were riding to school,” he said.

Tangentially related clicky image:
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/0 … 36x800.jpg

Weird? I wonder why the kids in the UK still can't walk anywhere?

I mean, they outlawed all the guns, so that means there's no violent crime there, right?

And they wonder why you see 200 lb middle schoolers.

My kid is allowed to take his bike and the bus (you hang the bike on the bus) anywhere he likes during daylight hours. He and his best friend (who is almost 16) can go wherever they want within reason. It's good for them to do these things. It fosters independence. They go visit friends, go bowling, to the movies, the mall etc.

If they have a sense of direction, can demonstrate bike safety (schools here have a class on it in 4th grade), and are responsible, it's not a big deal.

But he does have to ride the bus to school, because the area near his school is across a highway with no bike lane or sidewalk, and 3.5 miles away. Pretty lame.

fnord wrote:

Tsk, Tsk, Sofie.  You’re such a negligent mother to let Sofakid roam around without some sort of tracking device when there are all those kiddy diddlers and kidney snatchers roaming around.  Just how would you feel if he woke up in a bathtub full of ice with incisions in his back?

I do have a tracking device for him (and all my employees, too) in their cellphones.

I'm not entirely retarded.

Also, I will admit to a small amount of sexism. If I had a girl, she probably wouldn't have the same freedoms as mah boy does at this age.

Flame away.