cooker

Small, agreed, but not insignificant. She had the 6 kids before she became environmentally conscious and of course that can't be undone, but in some cases a family of 8 with a professional income might have 3 or 4 cars, especially when the kids become teens - if they stick with one car through their family years, it will be a big difference from that. Plus any downsizing of her own family's footprint may be leveraged if her minor celebrity-hood and example inspire others to go car-light or even car-free.

P_M

This is an interesting take on things I have not encountered until now.

When I was young my parents had one vehicle that my dad drove to and from work. I rode my bike a lot. My friends and I had lots and lots of adventures on our own. We didn't play a lot of video games. If we wanted to do something we found a way. Even when it came to strapping a fishing rod to the top tube and riding to the park with stocked lakes. We have a great trail system throughout the river valley here and I probably spent a good part of my youth out of the house doing things. Growing up I never considered having limited options. I felt kinda bad for the kids who couldn't leave the house and do things on their own.

Walter S

+1. I had a similar childhood - living on Tybee Island on the Georgia coast. We had the run of the island. There was the beach, downtown area, rivers, woods, marsh, old fort (used in the war of northern aggression as my great aunt would say). Tons of fun and adventure. Kids these days are more under careful watch and being escorted everywhere as though royalty.

I-Like-To-Bike

That downsizing of her family's footprint is dependent on a lot of "ifs" at least 10 years down the road as far as IF her children are satisfied with her/their alleged minor celebrity-hood rather than enjoying the benefits of a large heated and air conditioned home with plenty of electrical conveniences and devices, plenty of food not home grown, as well as eschewing the ownership and use of motorized vehicles.

You might as well predict about their future low environmental impact IF they should choose to live a life as close to hunter-gatherers as the law allows.

I-Like-To-Bike

Maybe, but I think it is more likely to lead someone to learn more about birth control.

I do not believe that citing extreme bicycling scenarios encourages many people to emulate such behavior. If someone asks for recommendations/suggestions on how to deal with their cycling concerns, whether it be hills, weather, distance, time, expense, safety, transporting a child (as in the OP), it doesn't likely inspire let alone help to cite the exploits of Tour de France pros , or around the world bicycle adventurers, or turn of 20th Century cycling/living conditions.

jade408

How old are you? For people born roughly after 1990, it is pretty uncommon to even have the freedom to play outside unsupervised. If you are older, it was probably OK and encouraged. Even if you had video games at home.

I was not an outdoorsy kid but I still "played outside." Up until maybe 12 or so. Then it was more video games. In the summer with more time it was video games, the pool, my neighbor's trampoline and badminton that occupied my time. And some occasionally babysitting. By 15 or so, I had a part time job. And stopped riding my bike because I didn't stay in the neighborhood anymore.

Now parents get reported to child protective services for letting 8 year olds walk to the park alone.

cooker

In this case I disagree. Some will see it and think "If she can do it with 6 kids..."
They don't have to "emulate such [extreme] behaviour" because most of them don't have 6 kids.

P_M

Yeah, I suppose age plays a part in it. I'm 45. When I was 5 I walked to and from kindergarten by myself. It was only a few blocks, but it was normal for me. At 6 I was taking a city bus. It was not unusual. Most of the people I was friends with did the same.

I have a daughter who is 13 now. When she was younger (about 9 years old) she wanted to take the train by herself to school. One day we almost got separated while boarding the train, so I came up with a little drill. The protocol I thought up was if we get separated, the first person gets off at the next stop and waits at a particular place on the platform for the next to meet them. The day arrived when we decided we should go through our drill. So, I waited on the train platform and watched her get on the train, and watched it drive away. I felt so scared but I didn't show it (I tried not to at least). It seemed like an eternity before the next train came, even if it was only 5 minutes. I got on and I was pretty anxious about getting to the next stop to meet her where we agreed.

When the train pulled into the station, I saw her watching for me. When she saw me she came running up with a big smile. The look on her face was awesome. She felt proud, and I was proud of her. We had worked out a plan that would keep both of us from panicking if we ever got separated. And I learned the issue was very likely more about my anxiety than her actual safety.

Of course, that led her to questions within a week about doing the whole thing by herself, and then weeks later about going to the mall with her friends. Those things didn't happen for a while, but slowly she got more freedom as I got more comfortable. As a compromise I would get off the train one stop from her school and meet her after she arrived at the school. She'd send me on errands to Starbucks while she was taking that one stop alone. We did that every week day for a long time while she was in elementary school. She gained confidence, and learned that I trusted her. And I gained a bit of confidence too.

P_M

I guess I should add too that my mom wasn't the type to just let us get away with everything like feral children. VERY much the opposite. We're from Northern Ireland, and there motherhood is like a martial art. She was strict and, at times, terrifying. Think of Mrs Olson on Little House On The Prairie but with an Irish accent and the skills of a ninja.

jade408

I am 38, so a bit younger than you. But my childhood was more similar. I could go outside, ride my bike. I didn't get to use transit alone, but I didn't live by useful transit, I grew up in suburbia. I chat with younger colleagues, and all of their play time was scheduled! They couldn't relate to the idea of just running over to a neighbors house, or gathering up the kids on your street to play!

jade408

I definitely think feral children are a new development. There weren't many when I was a kid and now it is like a badge of pride!

I-Like-To-Bike

The article doesn't really explain how she "does anything" by bike by herself and six children other than loading the kids in/on the immense cargo bike and taking them for a ride or to the park. I was wondering what she does with 6 children that small and/or the cargo hauler when she goes inside a building to go shopping, run errands, doctor appointments, or anything else more involved than a playground.

cooker

What are we arguing about, exactly?

jade408

That seems out of scope for a bike rag.

mr,grumpy 

Haha. Yea. It really was a little bit of fluf, wasn't it? There wasn't a lot of content other than "handling six kids is hard" but it didn't seem to be any harder for her than any one else herding the many children. Your right though, she didn't speak to actually doing any thing other than a museum trip and some grocery shopping, but they only listed like four or five tags that she bought. It may or may not have been a full shopping trip. It didn't sound like it thoug.

cooker

i would assume she does the same as if she had a car. She leaves the vehicle(s) outside and walks in. If she can't manage the six kids inside a store or medical office it doesn't matter how she got there. And if she shops in bulk I guess the stoker kids just have to pedal harder, or she goes to the store a bit more often.

I-Like-To-Bike

If a magazine article allegedly provides a shining example to inspire others of how "with six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike," it would seem appropriate (in scope) to mention what it is that she can do, besides go for a ride around the neighborhood..

wolfchild

She lives in a cycling utopia of Portlandia which definitely makes it a lot easier to do this kind of a thing. I've never seen anybody ever do that here in my suburbs where I live. She also isn't anti-car, anti-oil, anti-paved roads, anti-technology like few of the posters on this list. She also has a very wealthy husband on whom she depends on for maintaining her lifestyle.

I-Like-To-Bike

A (presumably) wealthy husband who drives a car to work, and, I would not be surprised if also for all sorts of errands, shopping and transportation of child(ren) beyond the flat terrain close to their home in order to help support Mom's so-called lifestyle choice.

jade408

Their readers don't care what happens once she gets there with six kids. It feels like an appropriate question for a general purpose article.

jade408

Where I live I regularly run into parents with trailers or bike seats or whatever toting kids to the grocery store/farmers market/drugstore. I see them park, or load up their bags onto their bikes.

Other than the bike park it felt analogous to any parent with a kid loading up the car, just like how I grew up.

Some of the parents even have have that "you have to keep your hands on the vehicle" rule while packing up so the kid doesn't run off into the parking lot.

Now that I am thinking about this, are there any bike trailers that double as strollers?

mr,grumpy 

yes!!!!

I-Like-To-Bike

But quite the appropriate question to ask on a list presumably about living car free, especially when it is stated on this list that she is an example of someone who can do it all by bike with six kids.

I-Like-To-Bike

Doubtful if a bakfiet would serve as a stroller. A large wheelbarrow and the Portland Mom's bungee cords might work better.

jade408

I don't see it. Living car free with six kids isn't different that living with six kids once you get there. Then you are just talking about living with six kids. Why would an article on a bike focused site talk about that.

I am not saying it isn't a valid question, but not for a bike focused article. That sounds like an awesome set of questions for a parent focused publication. In fact it would be great if bike PR people pitched parent focused stories to parenting media about living with kids and having a bike as primary transport.