Plotting To Make Him A Motorcyclist
How soon can I get this little guy on two wheels?
We have one grandson, now two years old, and I’m already thinking about making a motorcyclist out of him. Of course there may be an issue in his mother not sharing my intent. (Rolling eyes innocently skyward.)
When his mother was younger she declined all offers to ride behind me. She found it scary. Later, when she was living on her own and didn’t have a car I suggested she get a scooter. That was too scary.
So we haven’t talked about this in regard to Jack but I suspect she may be like my own mother. As I have recited here numerous times, I planned to get a small motorcycle (50cc!) when I turned of age and once that day arrived–and not one day sooner–my mother informed me that “You’ll never own a motorcycle as long as you live in my house.”
What’s Grampa to do?
Well, first–obviously–we need to get him riding a bicycle. I know Mom doesn’t object to that; in fact, they may already have a small bike at home that he’s learning on. I guess nowadays you start out on really small two-wheelers with no pedals. That way they learn to balance and coast. Then as they get bigger you move up to a bike with pedals.
If we were a dirt-bike family the next step would be a very small powered bike. I suspect what will go over better will be one of those little motorized scooters, the stand up kind, not the Vespa sort. That will give him a chance to learn about going faster, what power can do for you and what concerns come with speed.
After that it might get tricky. I know there are these little electric-powered bikes that are sold as toys for kids. They don’t go fast and are meant just to ride around on your block. I’ve seen some kids on the other side of our block riding one and they basically just circle our block. It’s just a fun toy; Mom won’t object to that will she? At least not too much?
OK, even just at this point, if I had had one of those things when I was a kid I would have been in heaven. Back then they had these little gas motors that you could put on your bicycle to provide power and I really wanted one, but I had like zero money so it just was not going to happen. One of these toy things would have been fabulous.
At the next step I may simply have to do something I’ve wanted to do for years: get a small electric scooter for myself (the Vespa kind). Surely Mom won’t mind terribly if I take Jack for a ride on that(?). And when I figure he’s ready maybe he and I could go somewhere safe and I could just let him take it for a spin the way I’m sure by then he will be begging me to do. (Don’t tell your Mom I let you do this.)
And maybe a little later I could get a small dirt bike–for myself!–that I just might let him try out. No better way to learn than riding on dirt.
Yeah, I know. If he ever got hurt doing any of this I’d be in deep stuff. And if Mom has expressly forbidden it and I do it anyway that is not particularly conducive to family harmony. So I’m going to have to be very attentive to her attitude and do what I can to sway her over the years. But I want to share what I care so much about with that little guy. And I have to believe he’s going to want it, too. He already sees me on my bikes and thinks they’re pretty darn cool.
Come on Mama, let that boy rock and (especially) roll!
Biker Quote for Today
You’re gonna need a rider anyhow, let me be your rider now. — Mark Knopfler
Tags: kids and motorcycles
