[Le-a]

God I used to love fanging down the street on my pushy. Nowadays fanging seems only to relate to vampires.

Tru dat.

To "fang" nowadays one must also have perfectly sculpted hair, broody eyes, and black clothes. Back in the day all you needed were some spokeydokes, a stack hat, and a banana seat.

[BadCat]

Tru dat.

To "fang" nowadays one must also have perfectly sculpted hair, broody eyes, and black clothes. Back in the day all you needed were some spokeydokes, a stack hat, and a banana seat.

Pffft! Whippersnapper.

Stackhats weren't even invented when I used to fang my pushy. Nor were spokeydokes. We just bunged some playing cards in the spokes and attached them with clothes pegs.

This break in thread continuity was brought to you by "The Golden Days of Youth". And now, back to our regular programming.

[countrymel]

Pffft! Whippersnapper.

Stackhats weren't even invented when I used to fang my pushy. Nor were spokeydokes. We just bunged some playing cards in the spokes and attached them with clothes pegs.

Yeah you tell'em BadCat... our bikes were also festooned with the beautiful chains we had constructed from the ring pulls off the soft drink cans (collected by scrabbling around in the dust near the bins at the chip shop - where you could also buy enough lollies with 20c to make yourself feel nauseous!)

My parents were considered overprotective too as we had a 'no thongs on bikes' rule! (it came into being after the great toenail tragedy of 1977 alas)


And in the spirt of 'the olden days'

What - are his legs painted on?

Great to hear that quote again...

[Ianthe]

This is one of those weird EB times where in this thread most people are happy to let a 7yo drive but tomorrow there will a thread on not letting your 18yo catch a bus because it is too dangerous

I am a city girl so I cannot imagine.

[BadCat]

Yeah I was chuckling earlier about the comparison between this thread where a 7 yo is allowed to drive and a previous thread where sitting your toddler on your lap while you drive up the driveway is practically a hanging offence.

I would do both but I've recently been diagnosed as being not EBT*.









EB Typical.

[MrsW87]

I just want some others opinions on this....

We live in a semi-rural area on a small acreage surrounded by other similar properties. I believe one of our neighbours let their 7 year old drive a small car, on his own, down their dirt driveway to the road, he parks the car near the entrance to their property and then he crosses the road on his own to where the bus picks him up for school. In the afternoon the bus drops him off at their driveway (no need to cross this time) and he gets back in the car and drives himself back up to the house again....ALONE. The driveway is approx. 400-500m long, their house is elevated so the driveway is certainly not flat or straight. And apart from this they own a heavy earthmoving business and so there is frequently semi-trailers coming towards him.

He has been riding a quad bike on his own for at least the last 2 years and I have heard that he can also operate a bobcat on his own!! I am sure his parents think he is quite capable of driving this vehicle but I am far less comfortable with a child operating a car (or machinery for that matter) than they obviously are.

I am quite disturbed by this but am not sure whether I am overreacting and, since he is on private property, this isn't a concern. I know I should probably mind my own business but I am quite concerned for his safety.

Op, you write like you have seen it, but are saying "I believe they let him". You've either seen it or you haven't, and as far as "you've heard he can drive a bobcat" well, I've heard the Easter bunny is real, so perhaps write that one off as hearsay.

Why don't you call the police and report it if you are that worried. Or better yet, call DOCS. Im sure they would be all over it like a rash.

[Amanda_R]

Fairly par for the course where DH & I grew up (different areas, but country rather than city). Ahh the things DH and his brother did with their 'barra buggy' (ie: paddock bomb) when they were young kids. Hell I drove a tractor when I was in primary school, clutch was a bugger though, had to stand on it to put it down, lol. I think I drove better then than I can now.

Despite that I think I'd be too chicken to let our girls do what we did as kids, maybe all the time in the city made me a wuss.

In your case OP, I wouldn't be too worried, it's a short distance, at low speeds, on private property. Chances are worse could happen if they were riding their bike down the road somewhere else.

[Beltie]

I'm finding it a bit hard to visualise the OPs description of a narrow driveway with semitrailers driving quickly along the short length.

My DD who is 4 takes the recycling up to the bins at our gate on the back of her plastic 12V Jeep. It is about 800m. She was once tailed the whole way back by cattle truck coming to pick up some steers.

The Jeep goes about 6-7km/hr! Hilarious because she wouldn't give way. Wouldn't even make eye contact with him.

We were watching the whole time. The truck driver was on the phone to us, laughing his head off.

The drivers of the semis in the OP probably would be careful driving near a car on a narrow driveway.

[soontobegran]

Actually dhs family have owned on a property over 50 years soontobegran. DH, I and our eldest child lived on there for four years.

We were very aware of the dangers of farming life.

Heavy machinery and kids don't mix and we have always been vigilant around it. DH started learning to drive a tractor at 13 with supervision.

He learned how to drive a car with his parents in the left passenger seat.

Having less traffic and less police around does give rural people a false sense of security. But my uncle permenaetly damaged his right knee in a accident on his own property

I will never agree with a seven year driving a car at anytime at any location.

Please note OL that I did say I wouldn't let our children do it but it was and still is common practice in the country.
I hate quad bikes and trampolines without nets. I would never let a child go out on their bike without a helmut or on a skateboard without knee and elbow guards HOWEVER I would be seen as an over protective mother by our country relatives whose children have been raised completely differently. They drove motor bikes, tractors and headers and yes they drove an old car across 5 kms of paddocks to catch the school bus and they are all intact....in fact have probably had less broken bones than my city dwelling son.!

[B-B-M]

My DD who is 4 takes the recycling up to the bins at our gate on the back of her plastic 12V Jeep. It is about 800m. She was once tailed the whole way back by cattle truck coming to pick up some steers.

The Jeep goes about 6-7km/hr! Hilarious because she wouldn't give way. Wouldn't even make eye contact with him.

Too funny!!