re: O-t"s take on electric motorized scooters/mopeds

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I had to preface these remarks with those. My kid had a band concert tonight and my wife and I rolled up on the school, we noticed a bit if commotion next to one of the parking lots. Turns out one of the kids from the school on an electric moped had collided with a road sign in the park strip. He'd been on the sidewalk and clipped it with his handle bars. He was riding west and had gotten blinded by the setting sun. Had a nasty laceration on his face and was bleeding badly. It went from the outside of his eye to the corner of his mount and was into the subcutaneous fat layers.

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I have a pretty gnarly scar on my face from something similar happening when I was 12 or so. The only thing I don't like about them is that fat kids aren't having to pedal a bike.

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I've realized that Gen X are the last parents who still remember and parent like we were raised (with common sense).

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Firmly Gen X here, but some of my kids' peers' parents (who were also Gen X) raised them in in bubble wrap and fighting every battle for their kids. We were the only fam in the hood who let our kids be kids. They could ride their bikes, scooters, whatever, anywhere in the hood. Come home when streetlights come on, just like I was raised. But our kids were about the only ones with this freedom.

I had a motorcycle at 9 years old. Got my kids one too. I was turned loose in the hood from kindergarten to wander and play. I turned my kids loose too, but other kids' parents acted like we were crazy.

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After the concert, my wife called the children's hospital where they took him. He's going to be ok (eventually.) No concussion, no broken bones. The doc said the helmet significantly reduced the kids injuries. They were taking him to emergency reconstructive surgery on his face. Hate it for the kid.

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Interesting you were able to get a doctor to speak to you about a kid that wasn't yours.

You let a 5-6 year old wander the neighborhood alone?

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You let a 5-6 year old wander the neighborhood alone?

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Unclutch the pearls.

Yep. Our neighborhood was one way in & one way out, circle with cul-de-sacs on the corners. We could watch our kids go from our cul-de-sac to the other 2, where friends lived. We'd also let them ride bikes all the way around the neighborhood, out of sight, because it only too 3 to 5 minutes to make it back into sight.

They also walked to school, in a pack, a block away.

Oh the horror.

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We used to build giant, rickety ramps on the steepest part of the cul-de-sac and get going as fast as we could before launching it. There were no trial runs or foam pits or anything…and we’d fight to be the first dumbass who braved it.

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We did this too. Thinking back, I doubt that as an 8-12 year old you can generate the speed that these scooters can achieve. And when you did go, it was 100% attention on what you were doing, not cruising on a scooter looking at SnapChat. So I can see that it is significantly more dangerous activity.

Talk to any ER docs, they probably see these every day.

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Don’t get offended by a simple question friend

Sounds like you have a good situation.

We live in a great neighborhood but there are so many people that drive like psychos through it that I wouldn’t let my 5 YO ride his bike solo in it

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My bad.

Yeah, our neighborhood was set up wonderfully. Sidewalks all the way around the interior and exterior of the loop. Didn't really have to worry about folks in cars.

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Personally, I hate them. Mostly because I think they're not safe

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Teach kids to ride safely. I don't see what the problem is. My brother in law brought his two scooters to Biloxi when we went on a family trip. I put my 18 month old in my baby carrying harness that I wore. We rode along the boardwalk going no more than 10 mph and slowed down when pedestrians were nearby. My child LOVED being on it with me. I don't think it's unreasonable to use scooters in a safe manner. People who are irresponsible with them are going to get themselves and/or others hurt.

Would you say you hate guns/cars/power tools/heavy machinery because they're all inherently unsafe?

Electric dirt bike —- what brand???