Kids riding bikes in rural areas (Bellevue, Everett: houses, rent, school)

[klpeake]

My husband brought up a topic last night that I hadn't really had much thought on and can't really think of a great argument against.

That is that all of the areas that we are looking at moving to have no sidewalks. Most of the areas are just two lane country roads with huge drainage ditches on both sides of the road and the cars go 35-45mph or more. So therefore we wouldn't feel o.k. with the kids riding their bikes over to friends houses.

So this is directed to those of you that either grew up in this type of rural area or currently live in that setting with children. How did you deal with that as a child or how do you deal with that with your own kids? Do you drive them everywhere?

Thanks for the input.

Karol

[the dufferz]

I am old, but grew up biking these kinds of roads all of the time when I was a kid. We learned to drive with the traffic, stay on the gravel and be careful. That was back before we knew what a helmet was.

Today is a different day though. As a parent I would not be having my kids ride alone anywhere unless they were on the cell phone letting me know that they were OK. Not because of traffic, but there are bad people out there, and all of them would be on the road that my kid was riding on, of course. Who, me? Overprotective? Just ask my kids.

That of course is a concern whether there are sidewalks or not. So, not a ton of help from me I guess.

[pdoggptp]

Lately on the News here in the Portland Metro area, I've been hearing people in cars hitting people on their bikes on the side of the road. It makes me sad that people would do this don't care about the world today. I suggest not letting your kid ride his bike on a road like that, just too dagerous. Stick with a populous area that has Sidewalks.

[CJMom]

I'm with Dufferz. I can't imagine letting my little one (who is only two right now so it's not a problem yet) ride anywhere where I couldn't see them because of the predator danger. So, if that's important to you, I'd be looking for a traditional neighborhood, preferably on a cul-de-sac.

I grew up in an area like your, and I'm nearly 40 now, and I did not ride my bike on those kinds of roads. It's probably why I grew up to play basketball.

[klpeake]

Thank you to those that have replied. I am totally in agreement with you on not letting my kids out of my sight. But they are still little. I may feel a bit differently when they are 13+ years old. I guess my question is a bit more along the lines of:

Is it fair to take city kids and drag them out to the country to live? Will they be happy, will they be bored?

I have a friend whose family had a cabin in the woods, one where you had to hike in because their were no roads. They spent the entire summer there and her dad was the only one that left every week so that he could go to the office and catch up. She said that she loved it and completely looked forward to the summers. I also had a friend when I was about 12 that moved out into the country and I couldn't wait for the weekends when I could go up and visit at their house. We had to walk everywhere, but it was so much fun being out in the forest.

Karol

[the dufferz]

Karol,

Kids will love anywhere you live as long as they live with loving parents who focus on their well being.

That said, school may be an issue in that there may be a small student body, so friends are harder to find in some cases.

If you have a girl, watch out for the teen years if there is no mall within stricking distance. We have relatives who live in Machias (east of Everett and Lake Stevens) and they probably put more miles on their cars in one month than the average driver does in three months. They love it, their kids love it, there are no sidewalks, but they also did not ride places alone when they were young. I don't think they missed anything not doing it.

Living in the "country" has many drawback. Living in the city has many drawbacks. Investing time with our kids has no drawbacks. Doesn't matter where you live for that.

Oh. Will your kids be bored? If they are anything like my kids were when they were younger, the answer is yes. They will be bored... in the city, in the country, in the car, where they are, they will be bored... unless I am spending money on them. sigh.

The dufferz

[CJMom]

I lived in the country growing up and until I could drive, I was stuck there. It kept me out of trouble - again, plenty of time to spend practicing jump shots and free throws (which ultimately earned me a college scholarship).

I do remember my parents being THRILLED when I finally was old enough to get my license so that they wouldn't spend their lives driving me and my brother around - so you may want to consider how much time you want to spend on the road if you choose the rural option.

Now that I live in Bellevue, I've actually worried about the impact that having access to transit options will have when my now-2yo daughter becomes a teen, and it freaks me out to think of her taking the bus and hanging out at the mall. So I guess I'm saying that I can appreciate your dilemma.

I agree with Dufferz - it's a no win situation. There's advantages and disadvantages to both options and they'll be unhappy no matter what because they are teenagers.