Im glad to say that at the track I race at the person runs the races dose not allow the parenst to yall at there kids on the track. He tells the parents at the riders meetings ever race that they are here for fun not to be yealled at. To bad other tracks would do something to

 

Common sense is worthless, what we need to use is GOOD SENSE. I have enough scars and roughed up body parts from my various adventures... And I have learned plenty for the pain. I also learned my limits and what happens when they're passed. We all want to protect our children, and keep them from getting hurt. Maybe instead of all the yelling, spend some more time practicing or go to a riding coach / instructor.

 

I have to agree Rick. It seems some of todays parents are totally brain dead.

Back in the summer I went to a 5 and 6 year old T ball game. The kids were just trying to have fun but the stupid parents kept screaming and welling at them to do better. I saw one mother{yes a mother} get her son by the arm and shook him and told him if he made that mistake again she was going to whip his ***. I felt like slapping that dumb bitch.

Just this past weekend at an ATV camp some parents were letting the 8 and 9 yo sons ride there 400 Formans all by themselves. These boys were hadrly big enough to steer the things yet they were allowed to ride all by themselves without a helmet,perantal supervision or anything.
It scared me just to watch them.

Andy G

 

EXCELLENT post Rick . Tree Farmer said it best, Its the old "Little League" syndrome rearing its head. I often said at the end of each season they needed to give an award to the parent who either
1. Made the biggest Fool of themselves.
or
2. Embarassed their poor kid the worst.

 

It's a pleasent thought that Rick, actually cares about the people he sells the equipment to. Seems most of us are geared to,"I have to put in eight hours and I'm outta here." Four stars to you Rick!
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

bingo rick!! i hope i did my part a few weeks ago!!! ive got my 98 sport for sale. it has hpd aggressive clutch kit, delta v's with spacer,and air box and jets. will jerk arms outta socket!!! anyways, really wanted to sell it to get 00 sc 400 4x4, seeing this is the last year. set in yard for a few weeks with no bites!! finally, a bite. guy had 3900.00 cash in hand. well we b/s'ed for awhile and i was showin him all about her. then i asked him if he had ever rode before. he said i was'nt for him but for his 13 year old son!!! my heart stopped!!! i thought for a sec and HANDED his 3900. back and told him i would not sell him that much machine for a 13 yo boy!!! he couldnt understand why until i let him take a spin in the yard!!! he found out real quick why and was very understanding and relieved, i made the right call on that one. parents need to take more time and think!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good post, Rick. I think one thing that can cause problems is that parents remember the ATV they rode 20 years ago (you know the ATC 90 or 110) and remember the performance, or lack thereof it had. So they figure just about any machine out there should be safe for a kid, especially since they now have 4 wheels, and have no idea what they are being let loose on. That is one of the reasons I didn't go with the green spring on my Xplorer. I have 2 nephews that are old enough to ride around on it (14 & 15) with supervision, but It would have worried me to death that they might whack the throttle open and lift the front end too easily. I also think that parents should be required to be quiet during a race (there are too many distractions already) and just congradulate their kids for doing the best they could when their heat is over. Just my opinion.

 

I've witnessed MANY situations like this at the numerous mudruns I attend here in "Redneck Country" EVERY mudrun I attend, I will see kids that are 5-6 years old SCREAMING down thru the main camping/parking areas on "dads" LIFTED, LOCKED, 28" Overinflated Tired, NO Brakes, 44Qt. Cooler on the back rack, Set of Longhorn steer horns on the front rack, No exhaust, and a snorkel pipe stickin out the top... Honda, Polaris, Yamaha..etc....
What is it ya hear, "Look at little Johnny, he really can handle that bike well, Im gonna get me a new one and let him have that one so we can MUD together."...
I have a picture somewhere that my g/f took of me pulling a little 10 yr. old out of a 10-12 ft. deep mudhole that could KILL him if his bike had rolled over when he drove into it UNSUPERVISED!!. His parents were up at the camp in a drunken haze..
Honestly, I feel that the age limit restrictions on ATV's SHOULD include Motorcycles.
I am guilty of allowing my son to ride the Scrambler.... He wears his helmet, and always follows right behind me, we move slow and play in shallow mudholes... NO DEEP Holes Or WATER. He does have 3 years of mudding experience, riding on the back of mine..(WHICH IS A VERY CRUTIAL FIRST STEP IN RIDER EDUCATION!!!!!!..) From time to time, we have found "new mudholes" and after we go thru it together once or twice, I have hopped off and let him do it... I usually stand in the middle of the hole and cautiously watch him...
I can't keep him from wanting to ride. its in the blood... I can't force him to stay on his little XR-80 until he's 16... I WILL NOT buy a "toy" quad for a 125 lb. 11 year old thats over 4 ft. tall..(THATS JUST AS DANGEROUS)

 

Excelent post i have alot of thoughts on this but most of them have been covered.Seems like everybody that has replied has a handle on things.It is all the other people that i worry about. Our family rides often at our house 155 acres. My little boy has a badger 80 and does a good job on it, but every time he has invited a friend over to ride with us- After i explain how to do it, show them how to do it, get the helment on them the first thing they all do 95 percent of the time is punch it. By the time i get them stopped i'm mad and a nice ride together is ruined. So now we can only ride as a family. I dont want to explain how jonny got hurt at my house while im 10 foot away. my thoughts are safety first,fun second and accidents can still happen. My little boy rides the wheels off of the badger, I will let him ride my machine and i notice he always rides slower than on his. He wants to be a big boy but he realizes he is not comfortable on it. Hope this trend continues in the future.

 

I gotta agree that this is a good post. What I like the best is how conciencious Rick is despite the fact he sells "speed" stuff. You are a fine example for our sport.

Like someone said earlier, it is like "little league" syndrom. Personnaly, when I was that age I really sucked in little league...one of the worst on the team infact. LOL My dad was not pushy and kept teaching me until finally I got better.

As for me, I can't wait to have a child and teach him/her to ride when they are ready and willing.

Put plainly...some parents just suck!