Help: Contract for parents and teenagers

[Number One]

Tell her to wait till she's 16 Chris. There'll be kiwibikers queuing up to give her riding lessons.. GD&RFC

Hee hee!!!

Tell her to watch out for that charming (but possibly dodgy) scotsman too

[CookMySock]

ok lots and lots of support here. I'm stoked. All good comments - too many to reply to individually. Will read and digest.

DB

[Drew]

Nothing will ensure thier safety more than being capable on the bike.

How to teach it is the biggest hurdle, I'll be trying to keep my kids interest by combining common sense lessons and cool shit lessons, because the cool shit teaches what I think to be valuable control as well.

I remember only once riding with my father, so not sure what it was that kept me alive on the road..luck I guess when I look at how we rode back then.

[MSTRS:Me]

I don't think that a written contract will be of any use.
You are best to simply be supportive, be a mentor, and make it clear that good behaviour is it's own reward and bad behaviour begets 'consequences'.

[Drew]

and make it clear that good behaviour is it's own reward and bad behaviour begets 'consequences'.

Something kids should have learnt well before getting a motor vehical.

be a mentor

I wonder about this, because all kids fight thier parents on a lot of things. If a different person was used as said mentor, young ones would perhaps be more inclined to want to be like them.

[Jorja]

My oldest has just turned 12 and is always talking about when he is old enough to get his license. It scares the crap out of me.

Have any of the parents on here thought about making there kids do some dirt riding as well? It has helped me learn to control the bike better so my skills on the road have increased.

[MSTRS:Me]

Something kids should have learnt well before getting a motor vehical.

I wonder about this, because all kids fight thier parents on a lot of things. If a different person was used as said mentor, young ones would perhaps be more inclined to want to be like them.

If you've done your parenting job right, yes...but if so, your kid will also respect what you say.

[CookMySock]

[...] all kids fight thier parents on a lot of things. If a different person was used as said mentor, young ones would perhaps be more inclined to want to be like them.

Yes and no. Yeah there is always that added thing between family members, but your kids must understand that you are always on their side.

DB

[Coyote]

I'm assuming you're paying for the bike?

There really doesn't need to be a contract. If he's reckless, you'll either never hear about it and nothing can be done or if you do it's your bike and you can take it away to make him learn his lesson.

Don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for my parents getting me into bikes. Always had the fear of it being taken away keeping me from getting into trouble.

[The Pastor]

speeding ticket = los of bike for 1 weekend (friday,sat,sunday)
not telling they got speeding ticket = loss of bike for 2 weekends
doing stunts in stupid places = loss of bike for 2 weekend
being a dick = 1 day to however much you want. (depended on crime)
break of licence restrictions = loss of bike for 1 day to weekend (depenant how anal you wanna be on the time thing, nail him for passengers)

if you can afford it, buy the bike for him, and make sure he knows that its not his, but he has sole responsabilty for it and MUST look after it. this gives you the "right" to sell it if he is a complete dickwad.

rules and bike are his once getting the full + defensive driving cource.

Those are the rules i wished my parents enforced for me, take what you will.

I put weekends as during school days i didnt drive/ride much at all (i was within walking distance to most things) - you can add in weekdays or whatever if you think it will help him to behave on the road.

Have the rules set firm, but don't be nazi about enforcement, strict but fair.

[Coyote]

Have any of the parents on here thought about making there kids do some dirt riding as well? It has helped me learn to control the bike better so my skills on the road have increased.

My brother and I started riding on the dirt when I was 13 and he was 11. We had an old TL125, a new CRF150, and a couple of months later we got a old KX80. It's definitely a good place to start. You learn all the basic controls away from traffic and you learn how to deal with rougher terrain.

4 stroke, air cooled bikes are the best way to start. The 80 was awesome and a good bike to get, but it took some getting used to since we hadn't mastered all the basics yet so it was good still having the 150. The TL we outgrew quickly.

[scracha]

Let them buy their own bikes, gear and insist on 3rd party insurance. That way they'll be less inclined to crash it.

[CookMySock]

Yeah we will put a fat deposit on the bike, and he can pay it off over a year with part time work. He can't be persuaded to ride a skinny-rake scorpio etc, now that he has seen mums' GT250R. Actually, I don't mind it being expensive and flash, because he will be IMMENSELY proud of it. Aint no way anyone else will ever ride it except mum.

renegade master, The consequences will be much much greater than those. If I can drive for 40,000 hours and 25 years and not get a ticket of any kind, then he can fucking behave until he is 18. Anything on the road whatsoever that is not well within the "being VERY cool with it" bracket is a no-go. The bike will be part of his lifestyle, and his social circle, but it will emphatically NOT be a part of his skill-extension. Not on the road anyway. Track bike to follow - IF everything remains cool - and it will be MUCH more powerful than a mere 250.

An important part of this, will be me not talking about speed around him, because his eyes light up big time at such grandiose stories. Sigh. Actually, my 13 y/o daughter worries me the most, as she is not only completely invincible, but she also knows better than mum or dad.. owch! Anyway, she lubs me dearly, so maybe she will pull her head in. nah - I doubt it.

Whew! kids! They're awesome though.

DB

[Drew]

If you've done your parenting job right, yes...but if so, your kid will also respect what you say.

An even more daunting concern than the meaning of life, have we done a good job raising our kids?

Keeps me up some nights wondering.

Yes and no. Yeah there is always that added thing between family members, but your kids must understand that you are always on their side.

DB

Loads of kids, (I'd say most) dont think you're always on thier side. Wont listen when you explain why they are not allowed to do something.

Come to think of it, it aint just kids

[CookMySock]

Loads of kids, (I'd say most) dont think you're always on thier side. Wont listen when you explain why they are not allowed to do something. Come to think of it, it aint just kids

Well said. Tell them how you feel, and why, and watch them begin to see. Tell them with a tear in your eye.

DB