The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need, can hit hard.” –Sloan Wilson

"One of the greatest things about being a teenager is the sharing, the closeness, and the great times you have with your friends." - Unknown

By Tara R. McKee

When I was young, my sister and I were given an awful lot of freedom to go where we liked and play for hours as long as our mother had a rough idea of where we were. A generation ago, that was typical. In contrast, I was a different type of mother: my children’s lives were more structured with sports and extra-curricular activities. My kids spent a lot more time in the family car being driven to their various activities. They spent a lot less time off on their own with only a vague promise of being home before dinner.
I don’t believe I am in the minority here. We, as a generation of parents are also fearful about our children going various places, unmonitored, until they are much older. Can we tell the real difference between a real concern for their safety and unreasonable fear? Here’s a fact I was shocked to hear: the crime rate is about the same as it was in 1970, a generation ago. Children aren’t more likely to be abducted now than in 1970. BUT, we do have 24 hour news coverage and several different cable channels. The news channels are under much more pressure than they ever have been to fill that time, so abductions get much better media coverage than they ever did.

"We cannot tell the precise moment when a friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop there is at last a drop which makes it run over. So in a series of kindnesses there is at last one drop which makes the heart run over." - Cindy Kirk

So what are the true facts? Lenore Skenady, author of Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts from Worry, points out the the statistics that a child has a 1 in 1.5 million chance that they will be abducted and killed by a stranger. Compare that to the number one cause of death for children: as passengers in car accidents.
There are also occasions where our children are so used to being driven, they will ask for rides to the homes of friends who live less than ½ mile away. Are they lazy or just conditioned to expect cars to drive them everywhere? If the weather is fine, and safety and distance aren’t a concern—ask them: why not walk or ride your bicycle?
I had this epiphany one day when my eleven-year old daughter and her friend walked to a restaurant about 1/2 mile from their houses. The girls asked to be seated, ordered from the menu, paid their bill and tipped the waitress appropriately, and came home. This small little excursion was an eye opener for me. I needed to encourage more independence, let her have fun, and let her transport herself.
Self-confidence is gained when our children are given more autonomy. Pre-teens and young teens love a challenge, they love being together without constant supervision. If they have proven that they have the sufficient maturity, give them more independence and responsibility. If they have the road sense they need to get around by bicycle, they ought to be encouraged to use it to go more places.

Susie and Lauren spread their wings on their bicycles.

By Tara R. McKee

Stick to the stuff you know

If you wanna be cool

Follow one simple rule

Don’t mess with the flow, no no

Stick to the status quo

—from the song “Stick to the Status Quo” from High School Musical

In the Disney movie High School Musical, the main characters learn to break out of set roles, resist peer pressure, try out new talents and hobbies, and end up inspiring others. Great story line!

One sad fact in the USA is that young teen girls stop riding bicycles, even if they enjoyed them as children. Even with teen boys’ low ridership levels, the boys outnumber the girls on bicycle-riding. In Scotland, the percentage of girls ages 9-16 who ride their bikes to school is only 2%. Scotland is now implementing a program to increase those rates. Here in the States, I haven’t been able to find out the exact numbers, but mere observation will tell you it is way too low.

Can we break through the status quo? Can we get cycling to become trendy and cool for high school girls? Why not try it?! With a little help from some teen girls I know well, here are some tips:

high school girls biking

1. Make sure their bicycle isn’t too small for them. Girls grow fast and a bicycle that fit one year may be too small the next.
2. Get them a bike they will actually ride without having to have special clothing. Cruiser bikes are very popular with girls at this age, but find something that your teen girl likes.
3. Find them helmets they will actually wear. Youth are far more likely to have some type of bike accident than adults and they should be as safe as possible. Nutcase helmets are more popular among this age group than the regular road helmets.
4. Ah, the trend setters! Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Aniston have been photographed on their bicycles and you can easily find such photos of favorite actresses, singers and models on their bicycles. Your teen girl may care more about this than you do.
5. Show them where the safest bike routes and residential street routes they can take on their bicycle. It will be different than the best way by car.
6. Have a few Take-Your-Daughter-On-A-Bicycle-Ride days. Go someplace fun together: the local Farmer’s Market, a park or bike trail, or out to a café or bakery for tasty treat. Make it a positive experience. If you can, have their friends come along on their bikes, too!
7. This one is from me: encourage them to ride more by not giving them a car ride every time they think they need one. If it is close enough and safe enough that they can ride there on a day with pleasant weather, they really should be persuaded to do so.
8. Encourage your children’s school to promote safe riding and to provide safe places for them to lock up their bicycles. Safe Routes to School is a national program that tries to improve safety and encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school. If the program hasn’t been implemented in your school, you may want to enlighten your community leaders.