Empty Helmets

DD spent a great deal of time preparing and practicing her demonstration for last night's 4H meeting -- How to Properly Fit a Bike Helmet. (Truly the apple did not fall very far from the tree!) Her opening question to the 30 kids who were there was, "How many of you ride a bicycle?" Everyone raised a hand. Her next question was, "How many of you wear a helmet when you ride?" Every hand... yes, every hand went down. Gulp!

After completing her demonstration and handing out additional take-home information, one boy (trying to be difficult in that somewhat amusing way young children often have) demanded, "Do YOU wear your helmet?" Without batting an eye, and with what I thought was amazing self-assurance for a 10-year-old, she replied, "Well since I just got done explaining how to do it and why it's important, I'd say yes I do." Let's hope it made a difference.

The kids in our neighborhood never wear them. They go screaming down the two hills with reckless abandon while the neighborhood teenages peel through the neighborhood in the cars with the same reckless attitude. I gave my friends daughter a new helmet I got free in her favorite color, she told me thanks but she wouldn't wear it because it is uncomfortable.

I mentioned the lack of helmets to my husband and his response "we didn't wear them as kids". True but this was the 80's and helmets weren't widely available at Walmart then.

I remember being 11, a local girl going down a hill, losing control of her bike and landing on her head on a rock in a creek. She died. They still do not let bicycles of any type ride the road. If I have kiddos they will be wearing helmets.

Too bad she couldn't do the "smack on the head with a hammer" demo.
That might knock some sense into them ;)

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

If I have kiddos they will be wearing helmets.

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My girls wouldn't think of getting on their bikes without wearing helmets. The same way they don't ride in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt, don't go to bed without brushing their teeth, and don't walk around with their shoes untied. There are potential harmful consequences associated with these actions, some of which are irreversible, and they simply don't want to take a chance. More importantly though, it's second nature to them.

Kudos to every parent out there who fosters helmet usage!!

I am seeing less and less kids wear helmets. Previously, it was more kids in poorer communities. Now I see them (usually ages 10-13) everywhere.
The police dept. gave out free helmets to the kids at my school (grades 6-7) a couple of years ago. I found several just lying on the ground in the parking lot! None of my students wore helmets, unless they had a parent who was a cyclist.
I always compliment kids on their "cool" helmets when I see them wearing one.
Don't get me started on the parents who don't wear one when they are riding with their kids who do.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Too bad she couldn't do the "smack on the head with a hammer" demo.
That might knock some sense into them ;)

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I suggested this so one of my co-workers the other day and he didn't seem to think the boss would go for it :p