Values

[Melalvai]

Since resuming a car-lite lifestyle (after a month of car-free), I’ve used the car a couple times each week to take my daughter to swim practices across town, and this weekend to a swim meet in another city.

It’s about values. I want to be car free. I want my daughter to swim. I choose her swimming. If only all decisions were this easy.

Yes, I'm looking to pick a fight...
Someone is going to say "Make her bike to swim practices and rent a car for the swim meets".
Then I will say "How many teenagers do you have?" or "Remember when you were 12? Imagine your folks telling you to bike to swim practice."
Then they'll say "You should be in charge, not her."
And I'll reply "I like living in peace."
My house is not a war zone now.
:)

[Cosmoline]

I learned to swim when I was too young to be taking a bicycle very far, but as you can see from the cute spud on my avatar my mother (with four others to take care of) scooted me all over on the bike. When I was 12 I most certainly could have taken my bike to go swimming. I'm not sure what the big deal is unless the thing is on the other side of a big city.

[spinninwheels]

It seems to me that you might feel a tad guilty about this decision.

Life isn't always easy, and there are always tough decisions to be made. Because this is something that is causing you a some distress, that in itself speaks volumes about your values. So maybe you can't completely make the separation at this point. At least you're trying, and you understand the reasons why it is important for you and your kids, and their kids (one day).

One of my good friends here has a car, and she lets her friends use it if they need to. It's nothing new or special, just an older Toyotya that she picked up for $500, and it works fine for her.

It passed the Air-Care (Emmisions testing here in Vancouver), and although she may not use it for weeks on end, someone might. I know that their are insurance ramifications that may not make this possible in a lot of places, but it works here.

[pj7]

Since resuming a car-lite lifestyle (after a month of car-free), I've used the car a couple times each week to take my daughter to swim practices across town, and this weekend to a swim meet in another city.

It's about values. I want to be car free. I want my daughter to swim. I choose her swimming. If only all decisions were this easy.

Yes, I'm looking to pick a fight...
Someone is going to say "Make her bike to swim practices and rent a car for the swim meets".
Then I will say "How many teenagers do you have?" or "Remember when you were 12? Imagine your folks telling you to bike to swim practice."
Then they'll say "You should be in charge, not her."
And I'll reply "I like living in peace."
My house is not a war zone now.
:)
Living car free is a choice and freedome that I have chosen.
I don't have the right to tell you that you are wrong for not being "car free enough".
When my boy gets older I'm sure that my car "free" days will be over. I'm not looking forward to it, but I'm not dreading it either.
What I do dread is when I get older and it hurts to pee... yeah, that will suck.

[East Hill]

"Remember when you were 12? Imagine your folks telling you to bike to swim practice."



Perhaps it's a generational thing, but I can't imagine my parents telling me anything BUT 'bike (or actually, walk) to swim practice'.

How do you know she's not a budding triathlete?

East Hill

[Domromer]

Ok, so why are you telling us this. Are you looking for approval. It's your life who cares.

[Newspaperguy]

The really cool thing about going car-light is you get to set your own parameters, based on your own circumstances. It works this way because you're simply making a commitment to cut back on car use. That's all. You're not competing with anyone else. And nobody else can set the standards for you because nobody else knows your own particular circumstances the way you do.

This year, in my best months, I could make a tank of gas last me 2.5 months. In other months, a tank of gas would last me about one month. Some around here might use less fuel and some don't drive at all. That's not the point. I consider myself car-light because I'm using the car when necessary for me, not simply when convenient. It's not so much about the amount of fuel I use as it is about the way in which I drive. Someone else might use three times the amount of fuel as me and still be considered car-light if he or she was using the vehicle only when necessary for his or her needs.

Today, my fuel consumption is roughly one-quarter of what it was the year before I started to go car-light. But it took me a while to make the transition. And I'm still learning what car-light means to me.

In other words, you need to determine what a car-light lifestyle means for you. And then, six months or a year from now, you can revisit your decision and determine whether changes are in order.

[heywood]

It's all about balance. I've got two girls 10 & 12 and my wife has a car. Me and the kids bike all over the place, I could actually do without the car but it makes it really easy for the wife and my kids like to go places in it, it's no big deal we just don't really on it to make ends meet or for our day to day lives, although it makes my wifes job easier (she's a nurse working weird shifts so the car is handy)

Anyway, cars are good for what they are but never build your life around them..

[Melalvai]

In the summer when the outdoor pool is open she bikes to swim practice. The outdoor pool is 1 mile away, the indoor pool is >8 miles across town. She still has homework on swim practice nights.

Over the summer I gave some serious thought to how we could get rid of the car but after her swim meet last weekend I realized that I really want her to continue swimming and the car is part of that.

[Artkansas]

Since resuming a car-lite lifestyle (after a month of car-free), I’ve used the car a couple times each week to take my daughter to swim practices across town, and this weekend to a swim meet in another city.

It’s about values. I want to be car free. I want my daughter to swim. I choose her swimming. If only all decisions were this easy.

Yes, I'm looking to pick a fight...
Someone is going to say "Make her bike to swim practices and rent a car for the swim meets".
Then I will say "How many teenagers do you have?" or "Remember when you were 12? Imagine your folks telling you to bike to swim practice."
Then they'll say "You should be in charge, not her."
And I'll reply "I like living in peace."
My house is not a war zone now.
:)

Well as a kid, I never pedaled to swim practice, but I always pedaled to the swimming pool, Little League, Boy Scouts and soccer practice. It was like a given that if I had an activity, I pedaled there. (Guitar lessons excepted). My parents never had to tell me, likely they sometimes held their breath as I insisted on going by myself. As a kid it was about getting my own independence. Even as a kid my bike was a utility bike with baskets front and rear, and lights and reflectors for night riding. When I was 12 I would go off on 20 mile rides just to explore. What I couldn't imagine is my parents unilaterally deciding that I should go to swim practice because they had decided that I should be swimming. That would have gotten a real rebellion. :p Though I have gone way beyond the limits that they set so I could go to the beach. ;)

[gwd]

Perhaps it's a generational thing, but I can't imagine my parents telling me anything BUT 'bike (or actually, walk) to swim practice'.

How do you know she's not a budding triathlete?

East Hill

I biked to swim practice when I was 10. I wouldn't have thought anyone would drive me. Why would someone take a car to drive kids around when they take themselves by bike? When I was 12 I had a paper route so I biked a lot to deliver papers and to go to music lessons and to see friends and to go to the library and everything else. Life would've really sucked at 12 if I had to ask a parent drive me every time I wanted to go do something fun like swimming or fishing or anything. My friends would've teased me to no end if each time we decided to do something I had to go home and get a parent to drive me instead of just taking off on the bike with the rest of the kids.

[Platy]

...My friends would've teased me to no end if each time we decided to do something I had to go home and get a parent to drive me instead of just taking off on the bike with the rest of the kids.
Yes, that's the way it was.

[evblazer]

In the summer when the outdoor pool is open she bikes to swim practice. The outdoor pool is 1 mile away, the indoor pool is >8 miles across town. She still has homework on swim practice nights.

Over the summer I gave some serious thought to how we could get rid of the car but after her swim meet last weekend I realized that I really want her to continue swimming and the car is part of that.

I used to bike everywhere as a kid but 8 miles for a 12 year old, well for any year old, is a long ride. Why not let her drive they do that alot down in rural texas. Then you are car free but and your kid gets to practice :D

[Elkhound]

Nowadays any parent who would allow a pre-teen to run around unsupervised like that would get reported by some officious neighbor to CPS.

[kjohnnytarr]

Eh...it's a privileged you gotta fight for...sorry you're missing out, but I'm glad you've found something that makes it worth it for you.

[maddyfish]

My kids are the only reason I have a car, so I can't fight with you. It would be so easy without kids to dump the car.

[keiththesnake]

I think you're doing the right thing, because you're thinking first of your daughter.

[gerv]

Having a family is a compromise on a good day. For myself, car freedom is an evolution... or a direction. I try to replace automobile transportation as much as I can with bicycling/walking. I do as much as I can and I try to encourage everyone around me to do the same. Beyond that, I'm not too worried about being car-free or car-light.

[Domromer]

That sounded harsh, disregard that. I just didn't understand the point of the posting.