Some parents have no brains

[EllenFrasier]

Here's the story. Yesterday I turned right onto a street and saw one of those power wheel cars with a kid who was about three driving it and the mother walking behind it. That would not have been anything significant, except the kid was driving it in the middle of the street and at the end. The mom saw me and did not really make any attempt to get out of the street - she made a shooing motion to the powerwheel car - like that is going to get it moving.

I realize the street I was turning onto does not have a lot of through traffic - most of hit is people who live there or are visiting someone there - but there they still drive cars that are much bigger than the powerwheel car and not everybody is paying attention when they drive, ie: texting, talking on the phone, fiddling with the radio, etc. and could easily run into her son.

If she is going to allow him to use it on the road, she should at least stay on the shoulder and not go all the way to the end where it comes in contact with a very busy road.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Question....did the kid move out of the way?

We utilize the street in our current home and will in our new home.

Both are dead ends without sidewalks.

Why the middle if the street? It is a bit more level. Riding on the shoulder involves a tilted surface.

I always try to pace ahead of my pre-schoolers so that I am able to guide them out of the way.



I don't necessarily see it as a lack of brains--but it depends on the neighborhood.

But I guess you'd consider me as one of the
brainless.

I guess though I can see your point about the busy road. Our road comes to A1A...I have seen cars take the turn too wide...my van was almost hit once. It would be suicide to play at the end where we intersect with a road with a 45mph speed limit.

 

[Ceila]

So, the mom was walking right next to her child on a very quiet street and motioned for her child to move over? Is that right? If so, I don't really see a problem.

We live on a cul-de-sac and the kids play around the circle all the time in the street (with supervision, of course).

 

[Tinkermommy]

My son rides his kid-sized golf cart around our cul-de-sac all the time. I am always out there though.

I don't see the mom as brainless. It seems a slow residential street with little traffic and the mom was right there.

 

[EllenFrasier]

The brainless, or I should have said "thoughtless", part comes into play because she let the kid go all the way to the end of the street where it intersects with a very busy street which I was turning off of and I'm sure other cars turn off of. This is not a little vehicle this kid was driving around - looked big enough for the mom to be driving it herself, lol! Anyway, I was not commenting on anybody else on this board letting their kids drive in the street - that's your business. I was just commenting on this one event and wondered why she would put her child's life in danger just so he could drive a motorized vehicle in the street, which I think is illegal anyway. For the person who commented that she was letting him drive it in the middle because it's more level - I don't think that coincides with the motor vehicle regulations, at least not in my state.

This is probably why we never bought our kids those type of toys because they would have no place to drive them except the street and I got nervous when they rode their tricycles on the side of the road! Guess I'm just a worry wart or something.

 

[Magic Mom]

The mom was with him, they were having family fun, they were outside, not infront of the TV, the street is quiet. I don't see a problem.

 

[SaraJayne]

The brainless, or I should have said "thoughtless", part comes into play because she let the kid go all the way to the end of the street where it intersects with a very busy street which I was turning off of and I'm sure other cars turn off of. This is not a little vehicle this kid was driving around - looked big enough for the mom to be driving it herself, lol! Anyway, I was not commenting on anybody else on this board letting their kids drive in the street - that's your business. I was just commenting on this one event and wondered why she would put her child's life in danger just so he could drive a motorized vehicle in the street, which I think is illegal anyway. For the person who commented that she was letting him drive it in the middle because it's more level - I don't think that coincides with the motor vehicle regulations, at least not in my state.

This is probably why we never bought our kids those type of toys because they would have no place to drive them except the street and I got nervous when they rode their tricycles on the side of the road! Guess I'm just a worry wart or something.

I don't see a problem with it. From the way it sounds, she made him turn around at the intersection with the busy street, no go out into it.

What she was doing sounded perfectly fine to me.

 

[ckay87]

Eh, a little harsh, but I get what you're saying. We live on one of those streets and for a while it was like a super-highway for big wheels, power wheels, scooters, bikes. My rule was always to turn around at a certain house that was well before the very end of the street. Motorists turn off quickly and sometimes have blind spots as they are turning.

 

[EllenFrasier]

Eh, a little harsh, but I get what you're saying. We live on one of those streets and for a while it was like a super-highway for big wheels, power wheels, scooters, bikes. My rule was always to turn around at a certain house that was well before the very end of the street. Motorists turn off quickly and sometimes have blind spots as they are turning.

Exactly the point I was trying to make! Thank you for making it sound clearer.

 

[Phlip]

The brainless, or I should have said "thoughtless", part comes into play because she let the kid go all the way to the end of the street where it intersects with a very busy street which I was turning off of and I'm sure other cars turn off of. This is not a little vehicle this kid was driving around - looked big enough for the mom to be driving it herself, lol! Anyway, I was not commenting on anybody else on this board letting their kids drive in the street - that's your business. I was just commenting on this one event and wondered why she would put her child's life in danger just so he could drive a motorized vehicle in the street, which I think is illegal anyway. For the person who commented that she was letting him drive it in the middle because it's more level - I don't think that coincides with the motor vehicle regulations, at least not in my state.

This is probably why we never bought our kids those type of toys because they would have no place to drive them except the street and I got nervous when they rode their tricycles on the side of the road! Guess I'm just a worry wart or something.

I agree with you-yes kids should be outside playing, running around, riding their bikes-butstreets are for cars, trucks etc. If you let your kids play in the street, ride bikes etc. They should be very careful, look for cars, stay to the side etc. If you let your 3 year old play near a street let alone ride in it, you need to be right next to that child. We live on a dead end culdesac at the bottom of a hill. No kids but mine, until the neighborhood changed over from retired older folks to folks with preteenagers. The worst person on the street was an older gal that would lead foot it around the culdesac and come out of it like a sling shot released her. I couldn't let my kids ride bikes on the road with out me (let alone with me) due to this lady. Now we have very safe driving kids-16 ish through college age going up and down the road and their not so safe driving lead footed friends.

What really gets me is the kids that visit at the top of our street that play right in the middle with bikes, skate boards and scooters. You turn in the road and boom, there they are. Yikes.

 

[Ceila]

The brainless, or I should have said "thoughtless", part comes into play because she let the kid go all the way to the end of the street where it intersects with a very busy street which I was turning off of and I'm sure other cars turn off of.

When you said "end of the street" in your OP I pictured a dead-end. I have a better understanding now that you clarified what you meant. So it sounds like the street you turned on to was not a dead-end or cul-de-sac. With very little traffic (as you noted before), though, I still think it was fine for the mom to allow her child to ride in the street.

Anyway, I was not commenting on anybody else on this board letting their kids drive in the street - that's your business.

We were just mentioning our personal experience to try to add to the discussion.

I was just commenting on this one event and wondered why she would put her child's life in danger just so he could drive a motorized vehicle in the street, which I think is illegal anyway. For the person who commented that she was letting him drive it in the middle because it's more level - I don't think that coincides with the motor vehicle regulations, at least not in my state.

I don't know if those regulations/laws apply to children's toys. That would be interesting to research.

This is probably why we never bought our kids those type of toys because they would have no place to drive them except the street and I got nervous when they rode their tricycles on the side of the road! Guess I'm just a worry wart or something.

Again, I think it really depends on the level of traffic and how much supervision is able to be given. The mom in your OP was directly following her child, so she was obviously giving him a lot of supervision. I would have to know more about the street and traffic before I would be able to decide if I thought the mom was endangering her child's life.

 

[akhenaten]

We live on a circle (kind of a loop at the end of the road... like the eye of a needle with a block of homes in the center)... lots of kids playing in the street!

A few kids are now riding those power wheel cars and small motorcycles around the block with no adults with them... I absolutely HATE these mini vehicles.... They sit very low in the street and are difficult to see when in reverse... pulling out of the driveway... It is an accident waiting to happen!!

I know our street is quiet and my kids have played in the street but on bikes and on foot you are more easily seen and the motorcycle things can go pretty fast . And of course they are getting no exercise on those things either.

ONe day I saw a kid come very close to wiping out on the turn and almost crash into a parked car!

 

[ols386]

If the child was in the middle of the street and it was close to another street that has high traffic on it, and cars are turning off of the busy street onto the street where the child was, I would think that could potentially be very dangerous. Don't think I'd let my child ride in the middle of the street in that situation, even if I were right there with him.

 

[MM27]

I live on a street that is a huge loop and the kids love riding their bikes, skateboards, etc. on it because it has a nice incline. It's not busy by any means but those of us that live here do need to go in and out. The older kids know to move when cars are coming, but there are a few little ones in those battery operated cars and on little bikes that ride in the middle of the street and don't move. There were two kids out the other day, by themselves that couldn't have been more that 4. They were very far from their house and obviously nobody was watching them.

 

[catycatcat4]

I don't see what she did wrong.

If it is a residential road you have to expect to see kids playing during the day.
Drive slow and its not a problem.

 

[ajk912]

I don't see what she did wrong.

If it is a residential road you have to expect to see kids playing during the day.
Drive slow and its not a problem.

Agreed. It really annoys me in a residential area- 25 mph- speed limit- people not paying attention to where they are driving.

On the same note, school grounds. Yesterday my 9 year old wasn't paying attention and walked in front of a stopped school bus. I was about 15 steps behind her with my 6 year old. The teacher was all, "Good thing I was standing here, the bus was about to pull out!!" Yes, ABSOLUTELY my daughter should have stopped and waited for me to cross with her- but the bus should check too to make sure the path is clear before leaving the bus loop and school grounds. I told her that too, and the teacher instantly stopped playing her "I saved your daugher's life" card.

 

[Bethenny]

Eh, a little harsh, but I get what you're saying. We live on one of those streets and for a while it was like a super-highway for big wheels, power wheels, scooters, bikes. My rule was always to turn around at a certain house that was well before the very end of the street. Motorists turn off quickly and sometimes have blind spots as they are turning.

This is what I do too. My street is a cul-de-sac with very little traffic. But the end of it meets a busier road. I want to make sure that cars turning onto my road have enough time to see my kids riding on the road. So they can only go down to the 3rd house from the end of the street.

 

[SaraJayne]

Agreed. It really annoys me in a residential area- 25 mph- speed limit- people not paying attention to where they are driving.

On the same note, school grounds. Yesterday my 9 year old wasn't paying attention and walked in front of a stopped school bus. I was about 15 steps behind her with my 6 year old. The teacher was all, "Good thing I was standing here, the bus was about to pull out!!" Yes, ABSOLUTELY my daughter should have stopped and waited for me to cross with her- but the bus should check too to make sure the path is clear before leaving. I told her that too, and the teacher instantly stopped playing her "I saved your daugher's life" card.

It depends on how close to the front of the bus she was. The driver may not have been able to see her.

Our school buses (busses?) have arms that extend in the front and the kids have to walk around that arm in front of the bus. That's how far out they have to be for the driver to be able to see them.

 

[ajk912]

It depends on how close to the front of the bus she was. The driver may not have been able to see her.

Our school buses (busses?) have arms that extend in the front and the kids have to walk around that arm in front of the bus. That's how far out they have to be for the driver to be able to see them.

It wasn't in that area, but I don't think the arm was out (now that I think about it) she was at least 30 feet in front of the bus.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

The mom was with him, they were having family fun, they were outside, not infront of the TV, the street is quiet. I don't see a problem.

Exactly

You said a residential street where most of the traffic is residents. The residents would know there might be kids playing on the street.

My kids had the barbie motorized cars. They are easy to push to the side if needed - they are not that heavy.

If the Mom was not 2 steps behind, I would agree with the OP. But since Mom was right there, I don't see the issue at all.