Originally Posted by
Tom Spohn
I have never been scolded while riding with my kids who are now in their 40's, but I have been growled at from time to time to get off the road. Many people believe that bicycles belong exclusively on bike paths and are unaware of the laws in their own states which, I think without exception, consider a bicycle to be a "vehicle" with all of the rights and responsibilities of all other road sharing vehicles.
One Idea would be to submit an article to your local newspaper in the hopes of educating your neighbors on what you are doing. Another way of thinking about this is that at some point your kids will have to learn that there are uninformed people in the world who while vocal are not always right.
You last point - "at some point your kids will have to learn that there are uninformed people in the world who while vocal are not always right" - is one I've absolutely considered. I've had brief discussions with my kids about this (keeping it simple and age appropriate). While they cannot yet appreciate much of this, I do believe they are absolutely learning much about the world through me and modeling of my behavior (including my social behavior). Perhaps it's a good thing these admonishments are "drive-by" ones and not longer encounters as it might be quite difficult to stay civil were they to continue to berate me in front of my children despite an attept to educate.