Originally Posted by
dinges
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Looks as if those mothers just don't give a toss about the well-being of their children, doesn't it ?
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Actually, from what I've seen (in Leiden), your pictures were pretty conservative. It wouldn't be that unusual to see the mother holding an umbrella (to keep her cigarette dry) while riding over wet cobblestones on a narrow city street next to a canal....
Well, okay, perhaps I exaggerate... but standards are different in different places, and what society considers acceptable tends to dictate I've also heard that it's perfectly acceptable for a Dutch mother to put an infant in his crib for a nap, completely unattended, while she goes to the grocery store; this allows her to make the trip by bicycle, in less time, while carrying more food back to the apartment, than would be possible if the child had to come along. In the US this would be considered very irresponsible. Therefore the kid has to come along, and therefore the trip has to be made by car, and therefore the grocery store must have ample car parking, which only a large supermarket can afford, so therefore it has to be in the suburbs ... and ... and so on....
My kids would rather ride on the back of my Xtraxcycle than go by almost any other mode of transportation, and mine doesn't have either the seat cushion, the foot rests, or the handlebar of Santiago's rig. I've thought about adding them; but it would only encourage the kids, and I'd rather they ride their own bikes. I agree, riding this way is more dangerous than some activities, but comparing it to playing with a gun is just silly.