Interesting conversation with my daughter.

[AKO]

Guys I have to share a conversation I had with my 9 year old daughter today. I had the wife record the criterium de daphne or what ever the hell it's called as I was away for work and had never watched a minute of any road cycling and was curious as to what it was all about. Any way I was watching the end of one of the stages as they descended into some town who's name has no business being translated into English when my Daughter, noticing the barricaded roads asks me
"Have they closed the streets for something other than the bike racing or is it just for the bikes"?
I respond with "No bub, it's just for the bike race"
She "well what if a car needs to use the road"?
Me "They either wait for the road to reopen or go another way".
She "So they're closed only for the bike race"
Me "Yes"
She, looking somewhat disgusted "Please tell me that are doing it for charity at least"
Me "No Boof head (my nickname for her), that's their job, they get paid to ride bikes".
She "Doesn't seem fair"

While I had to try extremely hard not to laugh, it got me thinking about people's prejudices and how my innocent 9 year old daughter, who's father cycles for fun and fitness, can so early and without guidance from her parents, form such a negative opinion on the rights of cyclists to use the roads. What are people's thoughts on this? How do you think a 9 year old forms such opinions. I know a lot of my prejudices (and any one who says they don't have prejudices are deluded) were learnt from my parents and friends but I just don't know where this has come from.

[Pax]

Cute story, and I love your nickname for her

Regarding cars as the dominant transport discourse in society:

Ask most people to draw their neighbourhood and they will probably draw a street map...instead of houses, trees, parks, neighbours etc

The car subtly rules our consciousness all too often...how much time do kids spend in cars compared to on bikes? How many car adverts compared to bikes? etc etc etc

[MattyK]

Her opinion will be based on how you transport her

[AKO]

Good points pax, I might get her to draw the neighbourhood tomorrow and see what she comes up with. It was completely out of left field and her responses were a little more mature than I am used to from her. I came off night shift this morning and was kind of in a tired stupor when the discussion took place and have to say it blew me away. It was really surprising as our conversations usually revolve around burps, farts and how bad the cats breath smells (as well as hockey and swimming).

[AKO]

Her opinion will be based on how you transport her

Possibly. She does keep bugging me to let her ride to school though but it's too far and too dangerous for her. We sometimes drive to within a couple of kilometres from her school and ride from there so she's not like she is clueless about the subject. We have ridden on the road together.

[Pax]

Good points pax, I might get her to draw the neighbourhood tomorrow and see what she comes up with. It was completely out of left field and her responses were a little more mature than I am used to from her. I came off night shift this morning and was kind of in a tired stupor when the discussion took place and have to say it blew me away. It was really surprising as our conversations usually revolve around burps, farts and how bad the cats breath smells (as well as hockey and swimming).

Let me assure you that the "Draw your neighborhood" line with no other qualifications leads to the "map" result for most adolescents & adults. Your "Boof head" might come up with a surprise though.

Sounds like a fun kid ...

[slidetaker]

She is just following simple logic...

I will try to continue the discuss with car races close roads too. How's that unfair.....also explain the goods of having public and sporting events in a social level..

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Those bike races (or mass cycling events) represent large injections of income for the regions they go through and start/stop at. That's why so many towns bid to host such events and welcome the road controls that go with them. And when it's a large race like the TdF, then there are often many civil infrastructure improvements made before the event (e.g. road improvements, town parks and gardens, street furniture, towns spruce up etc).

[Comedian]

I rode to a school function from work recently. When I jumped on the bike to ride home a four year old asked me what I was doing.

When I replied "just riding home" she was horrified that someone was actually going to use a bike to ride somewhere.

In Australia, our dedication to the car and abolition of utility cycling has lead to a generation of Australians that think a bike is only useful for sport or pleasure.

They are actually a really good way to get around.

[rkelsen]

What are people's thoughts on this? How do you think a 9 year old forms such opinions.

While it is great that you cycle for "fun and fitness," if your daughter doesn't see you riding for any practical reasons, then I think I see your problem...

[AKO]

What are people's thoughts on this? How do you think a 9 year old forms such opinions.

While it is great that you cycle for "fun and fitness," if your daughter doesn't see you riding for any practical reasons, then I think I see your problem...

They quite often see me (I have 2 girls, the second younger) riding while being driven to or from school by the misses. It's a big deal for them (ok, and me) when they see me, their faces light up and they wave like idiots. They know I ride to the shops or ride home after dropping the car off for a windscreen or tyres etc. I'm not dismissing your opinion I just don't think she has made the connection yet. I may be wrong, god knows I have been before.

[toolonglegs]

I have two 9 year olds as well ... they aren't at all interested in bike racing, the TDF they don't mind watching though because of the caravan and they know to stand on the inside of corners to get the most goodies, the thorny issue with TDF is that it takes Daddy away for 3 to 4 weeks a year and they have to go the community center after school . But my son could probably name the last few world champions... or maybe not, but he would certainly recognize them.
But they are pretty used to seeing roads closed off for bike racing, only last week our road was closed off for the Dauphine TT. To be honest they are so used to it that they probably wouldn't even comment on it.

[jules21]

AKO - kids (above a certain age) instinctively respect big and powerful things - it's a defence mechanism. it's only as you grow a bit older that you being to really understand that power and authority are more sophisticated than that - i.e. by decree of law about who must yield in traffic, to take one minor example.

as a kid, i believed girls were useless. i was stronger than them and they spent their time playing with dolls and dressing up, etc. it's natural that kids are in awe of motor vehicles.

* i don't have any kids, just an opinion

[human909]

Her opinion will be based on how you transport her

Possibly. She does keep bugging me to let her ride to school though but it's too far and too dangerous for her. We sometimes drive to within a couple of kilometres from her school and ride from there so she's not like she is clueless about the subject. We have ridden on the road together.

I think all the 'problems' here can be summarised by these two quotes.

[AKO]

Her opinion will be based on how you transport her

Possibly. She does keep bugging me to let her ride to school though but it's too far and too dangerous for her. We sometimes drive to within a couple of kilometres from her school and ride from there so she's not like she is clueless about the subject. We have ridden on the road together.

I think all the 'problems' here can be summarised by these two quotes.

No worries human. I'll solve the "problem" by letting her ride the 9 klms to school along some roads that I refuse to ride on. Not sure why you saw my comments as a negative.

[Ozkaban]

I have a 9yo daughter too and some of her comments can be refreshingly honest and unbiased. I think your daughter's original comment may simply have been along the lines of 'there's a public resource being reserved for one group to the exclusion of all others, that's not fair'. I don't think it would matter which public resource or which group was involved.

No worries human. I'll solve the "problem" by letting her ride the 9 klms to school along some roads that I refuse to ride on. Not sure why you saw my comments as a negative.

Don't worry. The world is still black and white for some. I'd probably cop the same flack if I let it slip that I don't let my daughters ride to school despite the fact that the commute involves the F3/pacific hwy and is 20km...

[Comedian]

I find it interesting how far people send their kids from home to school. I wonder how often that happened before cars?

[Ozkaban]

I find it interesting how far people send their kids from home to school. I wonder how often that happened before cars?

Closer schools.

[burger]

I find it interesting how far people send their kids from home to school. I wonder how often that happened before cars?

Closer schools.

Father-in-law used to ride a horse with his brothers . . . . .

[Xplora]

Kinda wonder why the girl is being sent 9kms away for school - assuming you aren't in a remote/rural area. You don't have a choice all the time... but a 9 year old needs to be going to a local school to have local friends and a local community. Hopefully commuting locally on her own steam. Not all have the choice... but my kids won't be going to school more than 2kms away from our house. I want them to walk or ride. I walked at least a kilometre most of my schooling life. I'm a more active person for it too.

[AKO]

Kinda wonder why the girl is being sent 9kms away for school - assuming you aren't in a remote/rural area. You don't have a choice all the time... but a 9 year old needs to be going to a local school to have local friends and a local community. Hopefully commuting locally on her own steam. Not all have the choice... but my kids won't be going to school more than 2kms away from our house. I want them to walk or ride. I walked at least a kilometre most of my schooling life. I'm a more active person for it too.

We moved a couple of years ago and we didn't want the girls changing schools, moving away from friends. Plus they go to a Catholic school (so let the Christian bashing commence lol) and its the closet one of those to us even after we moved. There is a new high school just opened down the road which they will be going to, and riding to when they reach year 7.

[Xplora]

^^^ yep, I was careful about waving the pointed finger. If they ride to school they'll have every dude in the area after them... active ladies are sought after ladies... hmm this might not be encouraging you to let them ride...