A bike

"Welches" wrote in message
...
Three children appoximately 3 years between each of them. #1 and #3 are
tall, #2 is small.
All use their bikes, although perhaps at that time #3 uses the bike
slightly more round the garden. The bikes are not bought new, second hand,
and then passed down the family.

#1 has just moved onto a new (to them) bike.
When #2 is out parent notices that #3 who is also still using stabilisers
(in case that's a UK term that's the extra wheels preschoolers use to help
them balance) is getting a little too big for him bike. He's still happily
using it, but is outgrowing it. So they lower #2's bike down and put the
stabilisers on.
When #2 comes back, they object to having their bike taken, but parent
points out that #1's old bike is available. When #1's old bike is got out,
however, even lowered to the lowest point, it is clear that it is too tall
to the point of danger and #2 falls off as soon as they try and stop.
There is no question of buying another bike for any of them.

What do you do?

I was interested in the replies because I was #2 here, and I raised this a
few years back with my parents and they couldn't really see that I should
have found it a problem. So I wondered whether I was mssing something
obvious.

To answer a few questions:
Paying for another bike (even second hand) wouldn't have happened unless I'd
asked for one for my birthday/Christmas and I'd just had my birthday and
Christmas was 6 months plus away.

I can't think of anyone mum could have asked that didn't have a child
younger than me. Mum would have thought it rude to ask anyway. If someone
had provided a bike it'd have probably been put away for the next Christmas
too!!! (I know my parents)

It wasn't possible for me and #3 to share the bike as he had training wheels
and I didn't. They didn't easily come off without spanners and brute
strength! I don't think my mum could do it even. My brother was slow at
riding a bike and I think he was at least 2 years before he stopped using
them. If he hadn't had them then I probably would have been prepared to ride
the bike too low for me. I'd probably only have got it when he didn't want
it too.

#1's new bike was her first adult bike and even bigger. She was at her full
adult height very early.

To do my dad justice he quite likes a bike that is big for him when he's
riding fast. He likes not to be able to reach the ground unless he comes off
the saddle. I wasn't the sort of child that picks themselves up after a
fall and jumps back on. I never liked not feeling safe, and lose confidence
easily. But you'd have thought the fact that I couldn't get onto the saddle
without being lifted should have given him a hint.
#1 commented on this incident in relation to something else a few years
later and said that dad felt it was more important #3 should have a bike
because he was a boy. I don't know whether this was true.
Probably more relevent to whether I'd got my bike back, I would have made
considerably less fuss at having my bike taken than my brother would have
made at giving it back. Which was probably why my mum went along with it,
because she goes out of her way not to rile him because he's too good at the
massive sulk.

Basicaly after trying a few times I fell badly on the ground (I've still got
the scar) I lost confidence in riding and I didn't ride a bike again until
college-over 10 years later.

Debbie