KIds DO NOT belong on lawn mowing equipment

[paulfun9]

I won't tell anyone what to do but I will tell you what I would do in the same situation. I would mind my own danged business. There's a good chance the neighbor would tell me the same.

Kevin

I would be the type to not only tell someone to mind their own business but if they were even the slightest bit pushy about it I would follow up with some Boxing lessons to ensure next time never comes!

 

[ultrarunner]

Way off topic...

I took my six year old niece to a birthday party at one of those theme venues...

One little girl was crying non-stop because her balloon floated up to the rafters.

I looked at my niece and said we should help her.

So I stand up and my niece is standing my shoulders and she stands on her toes and grabs the balloon...

Several of the mom's came up to me to say how irresponsible I was and had put my child in grave danger...

I learned that you can't please everyone.

 

[2ndhalf]

Way off topic...

I took my six year old niece to a birthday party at one of those theme venues...

One little girl was crying non-stop because her balloon floated up to the rafters.

I looked at my niece and said we should help her.

So I stand up and my niece is standing my shoulders and grabs the balloon...

Several of the mom's came up to me to say how irresponsible I was and had put my child in grave danger...

I learned that you can't please everyone.

Ha Ha.. your niece will never forget it .. you should have said I don't even know that girl.. just to see them freak out.. ; )

 

[paulfun9]

The main reason places don't want you backing into parking spots is because, back when cars were big and manly, the rear overhang was way longer than the front overhang. If you backed into a spot until your tires hit the curb, there'd be a good chance your trunk would be 3' over the sidewalk, or smash landscaping, hit sign poles and block pedestrian paths...

I have not seen to this day any business with a sign telling people not to back into a parking spot! I remember those old cars well and never seemed to have a problem backing them in without overrunning the space but then again some people shouldn't be issued a drivers license to begin with I also recently experienced using a back up camera in a truck. Guy could not hook up his trailer even with the camera I was so un-impressed I used just the side mirror and estimated the distance and got it right the first try! Again some people shouldn't have a license to begin with!!!

 

[paulfun9]

Way off topic...

I took my six year old niece to a birthday party at one of those theme venues...

One little girl was crying non-stop because her balloon floated up to the rafters.

I looked at my niece and said we should help her.

So I stand up and my niece is standing my shoulders and she stands on her toes and grabs the balloon...

Several of the mom's came up to me to say how irresponsible I was and had put my child in grave danger...

I learned that you can't please everyone.

WHen I was questioned about my nieces safety while teaching her how to safely operate a whitewater kyak I simply replied to the offending person DONT WORRY SHE IS JUST A RENTAL! The look on that ladies face was priceless and she walked away much faster than she approached.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of my co-workers had an open house... the entire hospital staff was invited... quite an undertaking.

The host had a pool and mentioned to bring swimsuit in the invitation.

I brought my 5 and 7 year old niece... they are BOTH on a swim team my brother coaches and both were "Water Safe" before they could walk as in knowing how to float and hold your breath.

Anyway... it was hot... they wanted to swim and as they were heading to the pool I was stopped because I didn't have a swim suit on... was told I needed to be in the pool with them... these are from women I work with every day and it wasn't our host who knew the girls swim...

My reply was I got it covered as they are excellent swimmers and even if something were to happen I would just jump in... we are not talking an olympic pool.

The girls had a great time... by far the best swimmers... some teens were wearing floaties! The seven year old was showing off her racing dive which again raised eyebrows.

The girls had their own party and were laughing up a storm in the hot tub part of the pool with some of the Doctor's kids.

Monday at work several stopped to ask how/where my girls learned to swim and I said their dad taught them and they swim competitively... with much of the world covered by water you would think all parents would make sure their kids are water safe.

It was a little odd because these are all people that know me... I've been on the job since 1991.

Some people have no compunction about speaking their mind in any situation.

Did I say how well they swim???

Besides the entire party was almost exclusively Doctors, Nurses and EMTs...

 

[NorTracNY]

Way off topic...

I took my six year old niece to a birthday party at one of those theme venues...

One little girl was crying non-stop because her balloon floated up to the rafters.

I looked at my niece and said we should help her.

So I stand up and my niece is standing my shoulders and she stands on her toes and grabs the balloon...

Several of the mom's came up to me to say how irresponsible I was and had put my child in grave danger...

I learned that you can't please everyone.

And these were probably some of the same moms that would take their daughters to cheerleader practices.

 

[CobyRupert]

KIds DO NOT belong on lawn mowing equipment <<<<<<I see questions/statements like this to much in this politically correct society now.

Its none of the neighbors/governments business if someone riding around on a lawn tractor with HIS baby in his arms, ATV, tractor, surf board, airplane, child car seat, seat belts, horse&buggy.....................I dont think my neighbor should be letting his kids under 12 shoot guns, but that's his business, not mine, I'll just trust his judgement. In the court of God, Parents are responsible for the child, not the neighbor, community, school system or government. Ayah

:thumbsup: You put your finger right on the crux of the issue.
I'm not saying I agree with you, but recognize that THIS is the central issue. (Whose kid is it?) Yours or the governments?

I sort of agree with you, but let me play devil's (or government's (same thing)) advocate:

Does the community (i.e. government) have the right to say you can't beat your kid (i.e. draw a line where corporal punishment ends and abuse begins)?

Do they have the right to say your kid must receive an education?
Or proper calories?

I use the "argument of extremes" (like child abuse) to show that society does have rights when it comes to protecting your child. The question then becomes: Where do we draw the line? Corporal punishment? Seatbelts? Bicycle helmets? Riding on mowers? Fluoride? When it comes to drawing lines that puts individual rights against society's this is where people have many disagreements.

 

[LD1]

:thumbsup: You put your finger right on the crux of the issue.
I'm not saying I agree with you, but recognize that THIS is the central issue. (Whose kid is it?) Yours or the governments?

I sort of agree with you, but let me play devil's (or government's (same thing)) advocate:

Does the community (i.e. government) have the right to say you can't beat your kid (i.e. draw a line where corporal punishment ends and abuse begins)?

Do they have the right to say your kid must receive an education?
Or proper calories?

I use the "argument of extremes" (like child abuse) to show that society does have rights when it comes to protecting your child. The question then becomes: Where do we draw the line? Corporal punishment? Seatbelts? Bicycle helmets? Riding on mowers? Fluoride? When it comes to drawing lines that puts individual rights against society's this is where people have many disagreements.

There is a definite line between physically harming a child, and letting them live outside a bubble where the "possibility" of getting hurt is present.

Do kids have to wear seatbelts......yes. Because you are driving on someone elses property, therefore you must play by their rules.
Are their helmet laws for kids if they are riding bikes on sidewalks or public property.....i dont know. Wouldn't surprise me if there was. But again, on someone elses property, play by their rules.
Are schools mandated to provide healthy lunches in schools. Yep. But again.....someone elses property.

At my house, weather or not I choose to let my kids ride without helmets, jump on a trampoline without side nets, ride on the mower with me, eat junk food........my poperty, my business and no one elses.

Physically beating a child.....against the law on any property. Weather it be child, or another adult. Riding on a mower with dad.....not against the law.....mind your own business

 

[check]

Yes, it is no easy task to decide how much risk you were willing to expose your child too. There are no hard and fast rules, there are no guidelines, and in fact very little upon which to make your decision. And yes, there are obvious ones at both extremes, but in the middle, it is really tough. For example, when my daughter was eight years old, we bought her a little 50 mL Arctic Cat ATV, and my wife was very very nervous to say the least. Fortunately it had to be a Variator Restrictor on it, and it drove very slowly, and I was never farther than 50 feet away from her when she drove it. (We removed the Variator Restricter later, when she got a bit older.) Agree ATV, by the way, and after 10 years it is still being used by the smaller kids at the cottage, as it gets passed on from an older child to a smaller child.

At least with the ATV, she got great experience with driving a vehicle, which has made her life a lot easier as she got older and started driving boats and Sea-Doos, etc. So, in a way, you could say that taking that risk when she was younger actually makes for safer now, as she drives and controls much bigger and faster vehicles which obviously can lead a lot more dangerous situations for an inexperienced driver.