My mother is not super comfortable with our SE PDX lifestyle. She spends a lot of time worrying that something bad will happen to one of us, and then we go and do things like have them bike on the sidewalk at breakneck speed as we jog to keep up with them. I get this, and I share some of her fears, and yet... I keep them as safe as I can, and teach them to watch for cars, stop and wait for us at corners. I keep my eye out for cars coming down the road to make sure they are not pulling into a driveway. I am constantly vigilant. I know that bad things can happen even while I keep and eagle-eye out. But I also know that bad things can happen while we sit at home doing nothing at all, or while we drive in our car to a park where they can ride without fear of driveways.
And I love these rides. The kids get along and laugh, and Zach and I get to be together, admiring the strength of our kids as they make it up a steep hill, cringe as Little D careens back down the hill with his feet high off the ground. My mother knows how much we love it, and so instead of sending me articles about kids getting run over, she bought us the flags you see above. They are HUGE, and they serve three purposes: 1) They provide an interesting balance challenge for Little D as they sway in the wind and counteract his movements. 2) Flying over 6 feet high, they give a good heads-up to people passing by in cars to watch out. 3) They are a constant, not unpleasant reminder from my mother not to dare let my guard down, even for a second. My mom and dad see our kids almost every weekend, care for them while we get some adult time, and love them to death. I appreciate how important grandma and bubba are to my kids' lives, and how important the kids are to grandma and bubba's lives.
Glad to see the sails (er. . .flags) work on the bikes. I'll bet it's an interesting sight to see D come flying down the sidewalk flag flying high.
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