From the 24 hours of dysfunctional parenting series: this is 6:15 pm, our commute home to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. Since I started this series on Hourly Comic Day on February 1st, it's completely dark at 6.
For those who already disapprove of my use of the cargo bike to move my kids around NYC, you can add my children's use of electronic devices to the list of my parenting sins. I used to insist on the reading of books (and still do on the inbound trip to school) but books do not work as well in the dark inside a sleeping bag. And yes, I am aware of the existence of flashlights.
Archer would like me to issue the disclaimer that Ansel is the one who usually needs to pee in the middle of the bridge, not him. But the word balloon just didn't work on the right side.
(You can see the whole series so far at this link. )
I actually approve of your use of the cargo bike as it cuts down on pollution :-)
ReplyDeleteBut are your children not old enough to ride their own bikes?
Either way, it looks very cozy and fun indeed!
Some people are very positive and express their support as we pass, and others shake their heads in disgust or threaten to call the police.
DeleteBiking is a sensitive subject in New York, and the combination of public parenting and bikes really upsets a few people.
My kids are definitely old enough to ride their own bikes, but they remain resolutely uninterested in self locomotion. But to be fair, it is not just their laziness that keeps me from making them push themselves. It is about 5 miles each way to school, and while most of the trip is made in separate bike lanes, there are a couple of quite nasty spots that require riding in traffic, so even if they were good riders, I don't think they are old enough to handle the daily commute in a timely or safe fashion....maybe someday...before I retire to a wheelchair.
I think it's cool that you bike them...and make them napkins...and read to them...and make sure they are safe...and make them dinner....etc. SOUNDS LIKE AN AWESOME MOM TO ME!! People that are judgmental should shake skeletons from their own closet. You are doing a fine job but you don't need ANYONE to tell you that. I have two kids and wish I was as good a mom as you. PS....i've never heard or seen of a cargo bike until this post. PS again.... does their school not have buses?
DeleteDo people really give you problems about the cargo bike thing?
ReplyDelete