KIds DO NOT belong on lawn mowing equipment
- Thread starter Retiredguy2
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CobyRupert
Super Member
It's not a definite line. It's a crooked, hazy line that's constantly being redrawn. Sometimes it moves towards parent's right, most time it moves towards government control (mandates, laws, etc..)
I see you agree "Physically beating a child.....against the law on any property." -Then it's easy to see that one's person definition of abuse can differ from another's, or overlap what they see as acceptable punishment, and that is my point. Who gets to draw the line, and where? And now that the definition of "abuse" has been expanded to include "endangerment" (might happen), you can see how this issue causes so much disagreement on who gets to say.
(I should of also mentioned immunization in addition to education, physical punishment/abuse)
oldpilgrim
Elite Member
my then 8 yo grandaughter driving my tractor, wearing her school back pack. I drive to the bus stop and she drives it back, while I'd walk. She is the envy of the kids on her bus.
And (horrors), here she is on a lawnmower while her older sister drives the tractor !
And (horrors), here she is on a lawnmower while her older sister drives the tractor !
That's funny!
Try to remember this is a tractor forum and I doubt many here are pencil neck geeks who have a hard time lifting 100LBS. I would assume for the most part none of us are the type that have done no manual labor or would run from a challenge. Maybe on a different message board I would expect to find a bunch of whimps talking tough but here I would expect that when one says they might take a physical approach weather right or wrong I would be more inclined to believe they are more than able to do so! You don't look like that after working a farm, construction , wood mill, coal mines, or timber fields all your life. Top that with the prevalent military experience I notice from posters here and I would take just about all of us at their word if they said they might just punch someone who comes onto their property talking crap!
k0ua
Epic Contributor
my then 8 yo grandaughter driving my tractor, wearing her school back pack. I drive to the bus stop and she drives it back, while I'd walk. She is the envy of the kids on her bus.
And (horrors), here she is on a lawnmower while her older sister drives the tractor !
A couple of very lucky children...:thumbsup: I bet they will be better than average drivers when they are adults too.
Our daughter started operating the riding lawn mower when she was 8. She is an above average driver as an adult. One cannot say that all those hours on mowers is what led to above average motoring skills, but it darn sure did not hurt.
roadhunter
Elite Member
So now it's ok for kids to be on mowers but only if they are driving?
ultrarunner
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So far the nephew and nieces have been very respectful of the rules...
Number one rule is keys are locked up so they need to ask... number two is no riders or horseplay
and because the property has some steep areas these are off limits.
Yes... they are the envy of their friends...
My brother bought one of those made in China Buggies... came in a box.
I was very much against it but in retrospect it has been a great teacher... for every hour they use it there is at least an hour making repairs... tire flat... patch it yourself... run out of gas... walk the half mile to get gas... chain comes off, fix it yourself... bolts fall off... find one and replace it.
Number one rule is keys are locked up so they need to ask... number two is no riders or horseplay
and because the property has some steep areas these are off limits.
Yes... they are the envy of their friends...
My brother bought one of those made in China Buggies... came in a box.
I was very much against it but in retrospect it has been a great teacher... for every hour they use it there is at least an hour making repairs... tire flat... patch it yourself... run out of gas... walk the half mile to get gas... chain comes off, fix it yourself... bolts fall off... find one and replace it.
CCWKen
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Some parents just don't think with a clear mind. That's why they invented Child Protection Services in most states. However useless it may be, it does relieve some idiots of their parenting responsibilities. Every operator's manual I've ever seen for tractors and riding lawnmowers say not to allow riders. I guess driving alone is a judgment call. Too bad the kids have to rely on the judgment of a relative. These same relatives are usually responsible for leaving babies in hot cars to die. How can kids trust adults like that? Oh, that's right; some factions allow killing babies if it pleases the parents. 
Yes, I do believe in the Darwin Theory and yes, I do know it all. I just can't remember it all at the same time.
Yes, I do believe in the Darwin Theory and yes, I do know it all. I just can't remember it all at the same time.
ultrarunner
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Most of what I own predates by a long shot manuals with safety instructions... although the owners manual for my Model T says not to use a match to check fuel level... so I guess it started over a hundred years ago.
My real question is age alone is imperfect to determine ability...
Never seen so many 20 somethings that have never held a driver's licence... at 16 me and two High School friends drove from San Francisco to Vancouver Canada to spend Christmas with his uncle... one of the highlights of my youth... it would never happen today... driving in winter a 1000 miles each way to another country and back... checking into motels on the way up and back and driving through snow over the mountains.
Or our neighbor who a 10 took the train from Oakland California to Peoria Illinois to spend summer with his Grandparents... the trip took days...
One one hand we hear kids are smarter than ever... they have the knowledge of the world at their fingertips... but can't be trusted to mow a lawn because it is too dangerous....
The best I can offer is kids advance differently and what might be age appropriate for one isn't for another.
My real question is age alone is imperfect to determine ability...
Never seen so many 20 somethings that have never held a driver's licence... at 16 me and two High School friends drove from San Francisco to Vancouver Canada to spend Christmas with his uncle... one of the highlights of my youth... it would never happen today... driving in winter a 1000 miles each way to another country and back... checking into motels on the way up and back and driving through snow over the mountains.
Or our neighbor who a 10 took the train from Oakland California to Peoria Illinois to spend summer with his Grandparents... the trip took days...
One one hand we hear kids are smarter than ever... they have the knowledge of the world at their fingertips... but can't be trusted to mow a lawn because it is too dangerous....
The best I can offer is kids advance differently and what might be age appropriate for one isn't for another.
cqaigy2
Super Member
There's a location in Olympia WA USA, not the only place ive seen, where one drives forward, but to park, you are to back into the angled parking, not hard to do. Seems a little unusual to me at first,but then the round-abouts seemed that way to me when they first started showing up around here.