Transporting six children by bike

[PamNY]

What this woman (http://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikePortland+%28BikePortland.org%29) does is amazing (if true).

The bakfiet is great -- I see lots of those. But adding the other stuff -- I wonder if that is safe?

[zoom-zoom]

I'd be more impressed if she had most of their helmets on properly.

[Blueberry]

I'd be more impressed if she had most of their helmets on properly.

And her husband is a neurologist.

[lovelygamer]

I'm not going to judge her but man that just looks like an accident waiting to happen.

I do know a guy who tows his two toddlers to daycare in a closed trailer. He then continues on to work. I think it's about eight miles one way.

[Irulan]

It's probably a clip out of "Portlandia".

[sookiesue]

It's probably a clip out of "Portlandia".

If it's not, it should be...or it will be...



I'd be more impressed if she had most of their helmets on properly.

+1 on that.

[Veronica]

Reproducing six times in this day and age, when our world is so overpopulated, seems irresponsible to me.

I know god did say to be fruitful and multiply. But it seems humanity has done that. :rolleyes:

Veronica

[lauraelmore1033]

That's pretty cool, but did you see this ad (http://www.oldtownpizza.com/) in the banner? Even cooler!

[lph]

I can think of a lot of people who live a lot more irresponsibly than raising six children to think that cycling is a normal way to travel and transport loads of stuff, helmets or not. I think she rocks :D

[Tri Girl]

I can think of a lot of people who live a lot more irresponsibly than raising six children to think that cycling is a normal way to travel and transport loads of stuff, helmets or not. I think she rocks :D

+1
She *could* be driving a giant gas-guzzling SUV and helping to pollute the planet, but she's choosing a greener alternative and teaching her children an alternative way to live life. Gotta hand it to a neurologits' wife to not be driving that luxury SUV and getting on a bike instead. I teach many kids that have high-profile doctors for moms and dads- and you can bet none of those moms would ever imagine riding a bike. The horror!!
I say, go girl!! :)
Great article- thanks for sharing!

Emily said "I started looking at my life...I was living in a giant house and had a nine-person Suburban. I remember thinking, there's no reason I can't walk or bike around town."

on her kids wanting to just get in a car instead or riding: "They've lost that sense of driving. They've forgotten what it's like to even be in a car"
LOVE IT!!!

[shootingstar]

Reproducing six times in this day and age, when our world is so overpopulated, seems irresponsible to me.

I know god did say to be fruitful and multiply. But it seems humanity has done that. :rolleyes:

Veronica

Overpopulation in North America is not a problem. Not really. Both Canada and U.S. need / want immigrants (and I don't want to get into the legal and illegal debate here) now to keep up the tax base when natural birth rate is declining in both countries.

I know you meant this as a joke...

From a family of 6 children.

Wonder how often the mother bikes around with all her children. Or maybe it's just on weekends. She's probably enjoying as much as she can now, since children grow bigger fast soon.

[Tri Girl]

Wonder how often the mother bikes around with all her children.

The article says she exclusively bikes with the kids. They own a car that only her husband drives. Sounds like she it totally committed to it!

[Veronica]

I am the youngest of 7 and no I did not mean it as a joke.

Maybe it just comes from what I see day to day at my school, but I have issues with people choosing to have so many children, especially when one of them is a special needs kid. Maybe it's very different for her family and I'm sure that a biziillion people are going to respond with "That's not always the case..." But in my experience when there are that many children, it's tough to meet the challenges that arise with each.


Yes, kudos to her for raising them to see alternative transportation works.

Veronica

[Grits]

I am torn between amazement and admiration and then this nagging feeling that it seems...extreme. It is a great example of what is possible, and it makes her happy, so kudos to her for finding her joy, but I would have to have a motorized option for some situations. What if I didn't feel well enough to pedal everyone? What if a little one wasn't feeling well? I wonder if they end up staying home in a lot of situations that someone with a car would be able to go. I wonder if people end up picking up the kids for playdates and soccer practice and gymnastics because they hate to ask her to pedal all six over? I don't think I would want to take my kids out on a bike in all kinds of Portland weather, even in wool and under a tarp. I really wonder if years from now the grown up kids will remember it fondly or wish they could have taken the the car when they had the flu and needed to go to the doctor or get some orange juice. And just the thought of how long it would take to get everyone ready for the excursion makes me want to beat my head against the wall.

And where on earth is dad, besides at work with his car? Do they do anything together as a family? Does he have his own bike and ride along? Does he ever take all the kids anywhere without mom? His absence in this article is glaring.

[PamNY]

I am torn between amazement and admiration and then this nagging feeling that it seems...extreme. It is a great example of what is possible, and it makes her happy, so kudos to her for finding her joy, but I would have to have a motorized option for some situations. What if I didn't feel well enough to pedal everyone? What if a little one wasn't feeling well? I wonder if they end up staying home in a lot of situations that someone with a car would be able to go. I wonder if people end up picking up the kids for playdates and soccer practice and gymnastics because they hate to ask her to pedal all six over? I don't think I would want to take my kids out on a bike in all kinds of Portland weather, even in wool and under a tarp. I really wonder if years from now the grown up kids will remember it fondly or wish they could have taken the the car when they had the flu and needed to go to the doctor or get some orange juice. And just the thought of how long it would take to get everyone ready for the excursion makes me want to beat my head against the wall.

I had similar questions. With six kids, there must be many occasions when someone isn't feeling well.

And I also wonder how the kids will feel about this when they are older -- they might end up hating bicycles (especially the one who got strapped on with bungee cords).

[Trek420]

Overpopulation in North America is not a problem. Not really. Both Canada and U.S. need / want immigrants ....

That might not be what the earth thinks :o We use far more resources than developing and/or 3rd world countries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/opinion/02diamond.html?pagewanted=all

But good for her figuring out a way to do what she can when and while she can (size of, controllability of children). Who knows if someone may see her and think "I have 1 or 2 kids. If she can do that I surely can with mine". :)

Disclosure: 3rd of 3 kids.

[lph]

Well, I know it depends a lot on where and how you live, and I realize that the US is a lot more car-centric than many other places. But still - I grew up without a car, and even though it could be a hassle some times, it never stopped me from socializing or going places as a kid. We have a car now that is mostly used to transport our kayaks or go on vacation with, and I can truthfully say that my son has never been taken by car to a play date or to socialize apart from the occasional family visit to the suburbs on the other side of town. I don't know if they have decent public transport where this woman lives. But to me the only extreme part about it is the number of kids, and the extraordinary bike. But just not using or having a car available isn't extreme to me at all. I'm thinking that people got around, with kids, and had social lives before cars too :)

Is all of the US really so car-centric that most everyone has to take a car (or bike) to get orange juice or go to the doctor? I have both within a 10 minutes walk, and it's fairly typical of how people live in the outskirts of Oslo.

[sookiesue]

That's pretty cool, but did you see this ad (http://www.oldtownpizza.com/) in the banner? Even cooler!

Ha ha! I like the way you think! You've got to love Portland's love affair with beer...oh, and bikes, too.

[Veronica]

I'm thinking that people got around...and had social lives before cars too :)



For some reason this made me think about my grandparents. When they were courting in 1922 they lived about three miles apart and saw each other only on weekends. He was a farmer and had work to do every day and couldn't walk the 6 miles round trip. I have a copy of a letter he mailed to my grandmother. It's kind of mushy. :p

It costs him 2 cents to mail it. :D


Veronica

[Irulan]

And I also wonder how the kids will feel about this when they are older -- they might end up hating bicycles (especially the one who got strapped on with bungee cords).

Hah. They might hate Oregon because they grew up there, they might hate big families because they are in one.... seriously....

[Blueberry]

Is all of the US really so car-centric that most everyone has to take a car (or bike) to get orange juice or go to the doctor? I have both within a 10 minutes walk, and it's fairly typical of how people live in the outskirts of Oslo.

Yes - it really is that car centric. We are unusual - we can walk to a grocery and to a major medical center. But those are 1-2 mile walks, and most people wouldn't even think of doing even that without a car.

Heck, there have been stories about our schools not allowing kids to bike because of safety issues. It's very unusual for kids in my state to be able to walk or bike to school - generally, they are too far away.

[goldfinch]

I wonder if all the pushed back helmets on the kids was so they would photograph better.

[Veronica]

That's the way I see a lot of kids wear them. I think it may just be really hard to fit kids - they fidget, they don't really care if it fits (just let me ride my bike!), they think helmets are dorky - (at least give me a cool color!)

Veronica

[TigerMom]

I am torn between amazement and admiration and then this nagging feeling that it seems...extreme. It is a great example of what is possible, and it makes her happy, so kudos to her for finding her joy, but I would have to have a motorized option for some situations. What if I didn't feel well enough to pedal everyone? What if a little one wasn't feeling well? I wonder if they end up staying home in a lot of situations that someone with a car would be able to go. I wonder if people end up picking up the kids for playdates and soccer practice and gymnastics because they hate to ask her to pedal all six over? I don't think I would want to take my kids out on a bike in all kinds of Portland weather, even in wool and under a tarp. I really wonder if years from now the grown up kids will remember it fondly or wish they could have taken the the car when they had the flu and needed to go to the doctor or get some orange juice. And just the thought of how long it would take to get everyone ready for the excursion makes me want to beat my head against the wall.

And where on earth is dad, besides at work with his car? Do they do anything together as a family? Does he have his own bike and ride along? Does he ever take all the kids anywhere without mom? His absence in this article is glaring.

+1 Grits! Well said
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[shootingstar]

I really wonder if years from now the grown up kids will remember it fondly or wish they could have taken the the car when they had the flu and needed to go to the doctor or get some orange juice. And just the thought of how long it would take to get everyone ready for the excursion makes me want to beat my head against the wall.

And where on earth is dad, besides at work with his car? Do they do anything together as a family? Does he have his own bike and ride along? Does he ever take all the kids anywhere without mom? His absence in this article is glaring.


Am I the only person in TE forums so far, who grew up as a child in a household/family without a car until I was 14 yrs. old? (I am the eldest..)

If I can respond here as a kid who did have some stuff to do in terms of chores, etc.:

When it was cold /icy winter days, I did wish we had a car. I helped my mother pull the grocery cart over the ice. I helped her carry groceries. We took transit at times. Other times, it was a 15 min. walk to large grocery store. A family of 6 children requires alot of food. I mentioned this memory within first 3 paragraphs of this blog post (http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/growing-up-and-cycling-through-the-years-to-farmers%e2%80%99-markets-home-and-abroad/)on different farmers' markets that I've visited so far.

What I did, was also expected out of 2 other siblings below me. We took turns. It was my mother who determined who accompanied her each time. Others were too young. But later they each accompanied parents by car to supermarket.

Did I resent it? Of course, any teenager resents a chore/ adult responsbility at times. But what is the point of protecting children from drudgery of chores at times? If a kid is given lots of time to do a chore at their pace and only carry small weights of stuff, with adult parent near by, then that's the best situation for a child to slowly learn over time about self-sufficiency.

I viewed my upbringing..particularily when we didn't have a car, as how a family learns to cope by helping each other.

When we did get our first car, my father had it to get to work, 40 km. away from home. He worked at restaurant and hence, car wasn't even at home most evenings.

It sounds like...cruelty/harshness to some folks: but keep in mind, we lived in a residential street just 10 min. away from the downtown core. It truly was a liveable, walkable and bikeable area that I lived in....1960's -early 1980's.

My parents could not afford to pay for any team sports. So whatever we were involved were sports/art activities organized by the schools we attended. Those were the days, that we walked to and from school. Or took the local transit bus.

This whole way of living is the only way I've known how to live...near transit, walking and cycling. A childhood/teenage memory where I've lived and how we travelled locally, has influenced every home location that I've chosen for 4 other subsequent cities that I've lived later on, in adult life so far. :)

[goldfinch]

I grew up rural so we had vehicles. I learned to drive when I was 12 and learned on an International Truck, sitting on the edge of the seat barely able to press down the clutch. Different world than the city world.

And I got my first 22 rifle when I was maybe 8 or 9.

[PamNY]

It sounds like...cruelty/harshness to some folks: but keep in mind, we lived in a residential street just 10 min. away from the downtown core.

It doesn't sound like cruelty; it sounds like NYC. When I first moved to lower Manhattan, which had few residential services at the time, I walked much farther than 15 minutes to the grocery store.

Though many stores have delivery nowadays, what you are describing isn't at all unusual for cities. Lots of kids do similar things.

I do wonder if the woman with the six kids takes them all along shopping -- with four in the bakfiets, where do the groceries go?

[zoom-zoom]

I do wonder if the woman with the six kids takes them all along shopping -- with four in the bakfiets, where do the groceries go?

I hope dad does the bulk of the shopping. Even with just 1 kid it's often easier for DH to hit the store on his way home from work. When DS was little shopping was difficult because it meant schlepping along on the diaper bag. Now it's difficult because he wants to spend an hour looking at LEGO and whines through the food aisles. :rolleyes:

[shootingstar]

It doesn't sound like cruelty; it sounds like NYC. When I first moved to lower Manhattan, which had few residential services at the time, I walked much farther than 15 minutes to the grocery store.

Though many stores have delivery nowadays, what you are describing isn't at all unusual for cities. Lots of kids do similar things.

I do wonder if the woman with the six kids takes them all along shopping -- with four in the bakfiets, where do the groceries go?

I am not convinced Pam, that even alot of kids living in cities do what I just described in terms of helping my mother carry groceries walking/taking transit from store over 35 yrs. ago. I don't see that type of scenario often, for all the times I've taken transit often, while living in several big Canadian cities over 1 million people. I just see parents with very young children under approx. 8 yrs. old go on transit.

Only if there is hockey or basketball game in town/other type of event brings a parent(s) with their older children onto transit. Based on what I've seen.

Then there's just a bunch of older teens taking the transit in groups by themselves..from school/movie/cafe, etc.

Just my limited view.

Yes, hard to know how much groceries she can carry with all those children. THere just isn't space for the mega-haul/bike ride homeward. Well, when a few of children get older, they might be required to look after younger ones, while a parent goes grocery shopping.

[chatnoire]

I grew up in a city that is world reknowned for its relationship with the automobile, and we had one in our family for quite some time. My mother would take all 4 of us kids on transit to visit my grandmother 2-3 miles away (by bus) before heading to work, and I recall walking to the store on occasion.

Now, I live in a top 20 bike friendly city, and I can walk to the grocery, ride my bike to the farmers market, yoga, coffee shop, and mass transit, but that's a matter of a house in a good area, rather than the norm. And I don't have to wrangle anyone other than myself (which is hard enough.)

As far as her choice to have 6 kids, it sounds like it wasn't something she was raised to think about, and she seems to be, at some extent, making the best of that "footprint".

[maryellen]

A year or so ago I saw a man transporting 'just' three kids and I was pretty surprised. One in a trailer, one in a child seat behind dad, and one on the handlebars. A mix of admiration and horror that he was brave enough to travel that way in downtown Manhattan. Alas, I did not have the presence of mind to take a photo.

[lph]

For some reason this made me think about my grandparents. When they were courting in 1922 they lived about three miles apart and saw each other only on weekends. He was a farmer and had work to do every day and couldn't walk the 6 miles round trip. I have a copy of a letter he mailed to my grandmother. It's kind of mushy. :p

It costs him 2 cents to mail it. :D


Veronica

Awww :D That's really cute.

[Crankin]

Unless you live in a city, or near the core of a suburban downtown, you can't walk, ride, or take transit anywhere, especially in rural areas. I suspect this type of lifestyle is more prevalent on the coasts, where there is more infrastructure to support it. I grew up in a "streetcar suburb," only 6 miles from downtown Boston. However, I lived on the edge of the town, so I wasn't within walking distance of any of the 13 village centers. As a 12 year old, I either walked about half a mile to catch a bus to one shopping area, or walked about a mile or mile and a half to catch a bus to the "center." I could catch the T (subway) from either of these locations to get me just about anywhere. I never saw my parents use public transportation, although we only had one car until I was about 5 or 6 and I do remember dropping my dad off at the train on Wednesdays, so my mom could take the car to the store.
Right now, I live just far enough that it is not a short walk to get to Concord center for an errand; at 3.8 miles, it's an easy ride, but I've done the walk a few times, and 8 miles is not a short walk. My goal is that in a few years, we'll move closer to the shopping district, which is flat :), and more conducive to riding. However, I know I won't be going to the grocery store there, as I really dislike that store and go to the one in the next town, which is the same distance away (up a big hill to get there).
I definitely do not want to live in a big city, where you have the ability to get anything, at any time of the day, on foot. I would enjoy living near services, in a quieter environment.
I never took either of kids to the store, especially together, until they were close to 5-6 years old. It just wasn't productive for me and caused a lot of stress. Mind you, my kids were pretty well behaved, but they were kids. I went to the store on the way home from work every other Friday, with DH going on the alternate weeks. The kids stayed at daycare until I was done.

[hebe]

I don't think my knees would take all that weight, but kudos to her for doing it. I think it's great that there's one less SUV on the road. Perhaps she gets her groceries delivered? I know I do, it completely revolutionised shopping with a small child. I think she's fortunate to live somewhere where cycling provision is good enough to allow her to do that without feeling at risk and good for her for taking full advantage.

I grew up in a family without a car (and without any bikes or cyclists either). To tell the truth, I couldn't wait to be able to drive to be able to get around a bit better, but as I raise my own family I'm less and less keen on doing short journeys in the car. Yet it's amazing how hard it can be to ride a mile with a child trailer when your destination is through an industrial estate with every other unit some kind of lorry depot. The constant creep of towns and villages outwards does make it harder to find affordable housing that's within easy walk/cycling distance of shops, jobs, schools, doctors etc etc. Small Girl will be going to the closest school to us, which is just over a mile away - that's still quite a distance for a 4year old to walk (but at least is not through an industrial estate). The council for the county where I live has just agreed to re-allocate business development land to housing, which means more people living here and working elsewhere, so more car traffic.

[Grits]

There is a difference between doing something out of necessity and doing it by choice -and doing it with 1 or 2 children vs doing it with six. A lot of things are more manageable with a couple of kids, including taking a taxi!

She is choosing what is, in America, an extreme lifestyle. It doesn't seem that they use any public transportation. (The kids are used to never being in a car. They have never been to the shore because they are limited to 20 miles by bike). She is choosing to have no way to get all of her family anywhere at one time without some kind of special arrangements that it seems they have never made. I wonder how much of this came out of a desire to please her dad, who she didn't develop a relationship with until an adult, and also how her depression figures into it.

[shootingstar]

There is a difference between doing something out of necessity and doing it by choice -and doing it with 1 or 2 children vs doing it with six. A lot of things are more manageable with a couple of kids, including taking a taxi!

She is choosing what is, in America, an extreme lifestyle. It doesn't seem that they use any public transportation. (The kids are used to never being in a car. They have never been to the shore because they are limited to 20 miles by bike). She is choosing to have no way to get all of her family anywhere at one time without some kind of special arrangements that it seems they have never made. I wonder how much of this came out of a desire to please her dad, who she didn't develop a relationship with until an adult, and also how her depression figures into it.

Would agree that choosing a particular lifestyle (and they are not poor since her hubby is a neurologist), vs. doing out of necessity is a huge difference and its possible effect on children's expectations. Much of what I described in my childhood of no car and using public transit, was no choice, and for SURVIVAL by my parents. Being poor really truly does temper a child's expectations and if a parent handles child's grumpiness without making it a huge deal, a kid just accepts it and knows parent(s) doesn't have money to have a nice car or a 2nd car.

We did occasionally take taxi...where the whole family piled into the car to go over to the other side of city for a semi-annual banquet or special event. That was about 2-3 times per year.

As for "limiting" a family's options, I guess it depends on what parents wish for their child(ren) and types of experiences they should have (vs. what children really want after trying out various activities for a certain time.)

I get the powerful feeling that the article about this family is abit slanted because we really don't know how often the whole family with the father, uses the car. The car used for the family may be more often than what we are led to believe. We are just hearing it from the mother's perspective.

Anyway, I am glad that cycling for mother has helped deal with depression, which can be real when one has several children (and with post partum stage). It benefits the family to have a happy, healthy parent. I see her with children cycling together like this ..may be only for a short time in life since her older children will eventually (pretty soon) want to break off and do their own thing/carve their own identity/space.

A whole family cycling together is truly only for a short time in life. Make it the very best time together and that is what she is trying to do.

[Grits]

Anyway, I am glad that cycling for mother has helped deal with depression, which can be real when one has several children (and with post partum stage). It benefits the family to have a happy, healthy parent. I see her with children cycling together like this ..may be only for a short time in life since her older children will eventually (pretty soon) want to break off and do their own thing/carve their own identity/space.

A whole family cycling together is truly only for a short time in life. Make it the very best time together and that is what she is trying to do.

I agree. It might be something she really needs to do now for her own mental health. I am curious about the dad, though.

[jdubble]

I met Emily yesterday at our neighborhood 4th of July parade, and was completely charmed by her sense of humor and immediate friendliness. I told her I've seen her biking with the whole crew up our street, and she asked where we are on on the hill - I told her we're near the bottom and she said, Good, then I haven't thrown up in your yard :) When not at work, her husband does bike with the kids as well - he has a Christiania cargo trike with a Follow-Me Tandem attachment.

We're fortunate to live in a very walkable/bikeable part of town - there are several grocery stores (as well as other amenities) within an .5 mile radius, including a Cash'n'Carry for bulk purchases. So yes, she does do the shopping by bike, just not necessarily with the kids in tow. There was a great picture on her twitter feed yesterday of the bakfiets filled to the brim with groceries. They do have a car, but it's not big enough for the whole family to pile into.

I try to use my car as infrequently as possible for close-by errands, and bike most of the time with my two boys on the Xtracycle or with one on the Follow-Me and the other on his own bike, but I bow down to Emily and her awesomeness!

[lovelygamer]

Just gotta say (I watch the show) this article was also featured on the Portlandia facebook site. ha!

[Eden]

I dunno.... I'm sitting here in my "inner city" neighborhood (I live walking distance from pretty much everything I need and biking distance from pretty everything... less than 1.5 miles to the middle of downtown) The only things I can hear right now are the birds and an occasional airplane or truck. I find it to be plenty peaceful.

I grew up in a similar area in Pittsburgh (a bit further from downtown but totally connected.... less than 2 blocks to the trolley)

Growing up my parents each had a vehicle (my dad actually drove for a living), but I never really caught the bug I guess... I used to walk everywhere when I was a kid, when I was about 14 I got my first real road bike and never looked back. I didn't even have a drivers license until I was 25, though my husband (who grew up in rural Maine) did, so I had auto transportation if I needed it. Right now we have a single vehicle, though if we did not bicycle race we could probably get rid of it and simply rent or do flex car for the occasional times we want to go somewhere very far away. I bicycle commute to work and DH takes the bus.

I like being connected though.... I can't imagine living somewhere where I couldn't walk to everything.

[Grits]

:) When not at work, her husband does bike with the kids as well - he has a Christiania cargo trike with a Follow-Me Tandem attachment.

Good! That would have been interesting information to include in the article. I wish my community was more bike friendly for families, even though I can't imagine ever committing to a car free life unless forced to!

[jdubble]

Oh, and she has since gone into Clever Cycles, a nearby LBS, to have the Nutcase helmet straps adjusted, for what it's worth. In my experience, those straps are so slippery and finicky, it's nearly impossible to maintain a proper helmet fit with them. I have to futz my son's Nutcase on a near daily basis and it drives me crazy. I'm hoping to replace it soon.

I hate doing helmet fittings at school on the kids with the all-purpose/skate style helmets - most don't have the adjusting ring with the knob in the back, and it's so hard to get them to fit properly. And more and more kids have them 'cos they're "cool". *sigh*