Convincing Parents

[ILoveCake]

I think this is the right place for this. Ok so I am 14 right now and will be turning 15 in october. I really, really want to start riding. All of my friends ride, I would ride with them but they all just have 1 bike. I am not new to riding things with 2 wheels because I dirt jump on bicycles, I know that is totally different but hey, it must count for something. My parents think dirt biking is too dangerous, even though my grandpa on my moms side of the family has always been into motorcycles and my dad was too and he was raised on a farm so he has been around heavy machinery his whole life but he is a ***** when it comes to standing up to my mom. He used to ride street bikes untill he fell and smashed his foot into 100 pieces. Hope that gives some backround info.

My question too you: How would I go about having my parents let me start riding when they think it is too dangerous?

 

[150rguy]

Have your parents talk to some of your friends who rides parents. Also drag them into a dealership and sit on some bikes and a salesman will probablby come over and talk to you guys and they might talk your parents into it, or atleast give them a push towards getting a bike. Those salesmen never miss a chance to make money ;)

 

[ILoveCake]

Well my parents, mom especially, dont do yoo good talking to other parents because my mom is a rude **** ass. I already tried taking them too a dealership and they wouldn't go. Is there anything I could say or statistics I could show them? Like say how dangerous it is to rugby? My brother plays rugby and just broke his collarbone and when he heals he is going to go right back to the field, with 4 screws and a plate in him. I have only gotten one concussion while dirt jumping and now thats all they talk about when I want to start a new sport.

 

[150rguy]

What about your dad?

 

[ILoveCake]

He is a ***** when it comes to arguing with my mom, he always backs down to her and what she thinks.

 

[oldguy]

Before you get a chance to talk to them maybe you should start showing them a little respect. If I ever thought my kid talked about me the way you talk about them there is no way he would ever be getting special favors or things from me. Grow up and prove to them that you deserve the chance to earn it

 

[150rguy]

My mom thought that motocross would be to dangerous, but one day I showed my dad an add for an old dirtbike for 400$ so me and him went and bought it without telling my mom. But if your dad doesn't want you to have one then I don't know what to do/.

 

[ILoveCake]

Before you get a chance to talk to them maybe you should start showing them a little respect. If I ever thought my kid talked about me the way you talk about them there is no way he would ever be getting special favors or things from me. Grow up and prove to them that you deserve the chance to earn it

It is true though, he has no spine when it comes to speaking what he believes and my mom has the opposite opinion.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

ILoveCake - You've hit the word censor 3 times in your first thread out here (in reference to your parents no less) . Clean it up or you are GONE.

 

[oldguy]

It is true though, he has no spine when it comes to speaking what he believes and my mom has the opposite opinion.

Then maybe it is time for you to go out and find a job to earn the money needed for a bike since you think he is a jellyfish and you can do better

 

[ILoveCake]

That is the problem, I would get a job but I am stuck at home on weekdays and on weekends I like to get out and get some exercise. Also, I couldn't get a somewhat decent job at 14.

 

[sixds]

well your pretty much SOL.

 

[friar tuck]

Yeah, you're hosed. :) Find the thread on here about how cheerleading is more dangerous than dirtbiking. Then ask your Mom if you can go out for cheerleading...when she says yes, have her read that article, and THEN as nicely if you can try riding dirtbikes if you're VERY careful and wear the proper protective gear. Get a job and start earning money...PROVE you're responsible, and that you are serious about how badly you want to ride.

 

[Patman]

You've already gotten some good advice from Rich & Oldguy. Start applying it in your everyday life at home and it might help your cause. My son just got a new set of golf clubs he had been wanting badly. We didn't get them because he was a little PITA that spoke poorly of us, he got them because he works hard in school, shows respect towards others (including us his parents) and has been showing he will work hard on improving his game. Now I know part of the reason he plays is to get out of school early every day but again he's doing all the right things so I endulge it. He got a bike for the same reasons, of course it didn't hurt that I ride but your dad may be like many of us dads. When mama ain't happy NOBODY'S happy so sometimes ya' have to pick your battle. Thank your dad for being around, he could be a drunk or not even be in your life right?

 

[skyhigh230]

im a kid too (14) its hard getting your parents to agree to let you start something new, you can do some stuff that might help; you can have your friend that rides over to your house to spend the night have him talk about dirt biking and how safe he is tell him to mention the leatt neck brace(you can show your parents the website on it just google it) and show expense intrest in it and see if that helps any..

 

[skyhigh230]

oh did i mention nagging??

 

[Moparman1539]

My parent wont support this spot. If i want to ride. I have to buy everything i need. Bike, helmet etc. My unlce got me a dirtbike for free (needed a new topend) but after about a year of sitting in the shed it got a new topend. My mom was like :yikes: . butafter she knew i could ride it she wasbetter and cool about it.

But she knows i can ride. I rode her on a quad when i was in flordia and she liked it alot. And she was suprised. and she said she even wanted one! then we got a go-kart. And she LOVEs tor ide it into the mud. You just have to prove to them that you can. the best thing would be to start saving allowence, birthday, christmas, holiday money and find anice little cheap bike, and show them that you are serious about the sport. And they will usally accept that you are growing up.

And dirtbiking is dangerous when your careless.

 

[FruDaddy]

Sorry kid, sounds like you won't be riding dirt bikes any time soon. And I can't say that I blame them. You need to change your attitude from "come on, give me what I want" and I don't care what it costs" to "thanks for what I have". An important part of your is to keep you safe and they are trying to do just that. You could try watching the races on TV with your mom, but there is a really good chance of a nasty wreck (wrecks happen a lot with dirtbikes) and she will become even more firm.

Oh, I'm sure that you father would be willing to stand up to your mother if it were important to him. There's a pretty good chance that he too, is concerned for your safety, but is trying too hard to be your friend (and keep you happy) to tell you how he really feels about it. You will one day be astonished to find out all that you don't know now, but don't worry, you get to enter the real world in 3-3.5 years.

Yeah, I agree with the other fathers on this one, you definitely need to learn to show your parents a lot more respect, you have no idea what they may have already sacrificed for you, and you likely don't care. All that you seem to care about is getting what you want, just like most kids your age. Of course, if you start to straighten up now, you may find yourself with a better car in a couple of years. I think that it was oldguy that said that you father may be picking his battles, perhaps you should too. Let this one die and get ready for the next one (car), which you have a much better chance of winning.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I'll chime in here as well.

One of the issues raised here was the risk factor. You parents might be citing that as a reason but I bet it isn't there only reason. It might be the easiest reason to articulate, however.

Any sport has a risk of injury. With proper care, instruction, gear and supervision that risk can be minimized and kept to an acceptable level. One thing that struck me as missing in this situation was "supervision". I ride, my kids ride, but I would NEVER have given my kids a bike and allowed them to go off riding with their friends without being under the direct supervision of someone I trusted.

The bike will have a certain amount of expense associated with it. There is the cost of the bike itself. You can buy a cheap bike that may need lots of repair or an expensive bike that won't need as much repair as soon.

There is the cost of safety gear. Helmets, gloves, boots, chest protector, etc. All this will cost $300 - $400 and your parents would be fools to let you ride without it. At 14 years old you are still growing, which means that you will need to repalce all that gear in a year or two.

Your bike will need gas, oil, repair, maintenance. My motto has always been that if you don't enjoy working on toy then you probably shouldn't have it. Realistically, for every hour I ride I probably spend 15 minutes fixing/maintaining. Do you have the tools and know how to fix your bike when it breaks, or will you expect dad to spend his free time fixing your toy? Or worse, do you expect dad to haul your bike to the shop and pay to have it fixed?

Where would you ride? You mentioned that all your friends ride but there is only one bike. Doesn't sound like a well supervised ride. You ride in a friend's back yard? An open field? Or an actual area designated for off road use?

If you ride in an area that isn't totally legal then you are asking your parents to allow you to break the law. Not a good idea. If you ride on someone elses property then there are all sorts of liability issues to deal with. Has there been any discussion between your parents and the parents whose property you will be riding on? Do they encourage others to bring their bikes over and ride?

If you need to travel to a designated riding area then there are issues of transporting the bike. There are also a lot of issues regarding responsibility. Most tracks won't let a minor ride without the parents present or at least a signed waiver from the parents.

When I go out for a ride I might take my nephew along, but his parents know me and know that their son is as safe with me as if he was with them. It also helps that is already a good rider and doesn't need to be watched carefully.

I have no idea what your parents are like, how much money they have to spare, or how much free time that they could invest. I do know that any motorized sport can get very expensive and take up an incredible amount of time. If your parents don't enjoy going out and getting hot & sweaty while breathing a lot of dust while watching their son ride around in circles it might be a pretty hard sell.

Sorry, I think you may need to wait four more years then buy your own bike.

Rod

 

[oldguy]

rmc-olderthandirt :cool:
Great post detailing what the youngman just doesn't seem to comprehend

 

[Okiewan]

rmc-olderthandirt :cool:
Great post detailing what the youngman just doesn't seem to comprehend

this member has a habit of posting really good stuff. :cool:

 

[oilspot]

Do you have any idea how much you cost your parents just existing? How many times a day do you eat? Did you buy your own clothes? Pay your own bills?
You've called your parents some nasty names while complaining about what they will not buy for you.

I was a nasty unappreciative jerk when I was your age also. I begged my mom for a bike, and she would not buy me one. I lived. I got out on my own and figured out and started appreciating everything my parents had done for me and how terribly I had treated them.

Here's your light at the end of the tunnel. In four years you'll be 18. At that point you can go buy a bike for yourself.

.

 

[Red Ryder]

Stop playing video games, change your attitude, stop talking like a truck driver,mow the neighbors lawn for money, save up and get a good used dirtbike. Like the guys have been saying, respect your perents, even if it seems like they don't deserve it. I am 14 myself and have had about 11 dirt bikes in my life, I have never been ingured and I have crashed probably 3 times. I'm just a kid but I know that if I was your Dad I wouldn't be to happy with you and I deffinatly wouldn't be buying you a motorcycle.
My Dad dosn't just by me stuff whenever I want it, I have to have a good record of being obedient, respectfull and have been treating things properly. I don't use slang language because it makes you look like a pittifull slob, there is no reason to use rude language except to shock your friends. And how much does that count for. You may or may not play computer games but most kids do so all I can say is that they ARE a waste of life, time, brains and money. When talking to your perents or whoever don't speak your mind, I call it the '30 second think about'. Before you talk, think about it, you might not want to say what you thought you wanted to. Sure we all make mestakes but if you do just appolagize and leave it behind you. Talk to your perents more and respect them, and try not to corect them unless you are sure they are rong, and make sure it is something worth corecting even if it is rong.

You change and they will change too. And if they don't then you need to bring to thier attention that they are in the rong.

Jordan
B-day: June

P.S. I can't believe there are so many 14/15 year olds on here, I thought I was the only one!

 

[150rguy]

Stop playing video games, change your attitude, stop talking like a truck driver,mow the neighbors lawn for money, save up and get a good used dirtbike. Like the guys have been saying, respect your perents, even if it seems like they don't deserve it. I am 14 myself and have had about 11 dirt bikes in my life, I have never been ingured and I have crashed probably 3 times. I'm just a kid but I know that if I was your Dad I wouldn't be to happy with you and I deffinatly wouldn't be buying you a motorcycle.
My Dad dosn't just by me stuff whenever I want it, I have to have a good record of being obedient, respectfull and have been treating things properly. I don't use slang language because it makes you look like a pittifull slob, there is no reason to use rude language except to shock your friends. And how much does that count for. You may or may not play computer games but most kids do so all I can say is that they ARE a waste of life, time, brains and money. When talking to your perents or whoever don't speak your mind, I call it the '30 second think about'. Before you talk, think about it, you might not want to say what you thought you wanted to. Sure we all make mestakes but if you do just appolagize and leave it behind you. Talk to your perents more and respect them, and try not to corect them unless you are sure they are rong, and make sure it is something worth corecting even if it is rong.

You change and they will change too. And if they don't then you need to bring to thier attention that they are in the rong.

Jordan
B-day: June

P.S. I can't believe there are so many 14/15 year olds on here, I thought I was the only one!

:cool: I agree with you 100%.

p.s. I see you're from yakima. Im from clarkston WA.

 

[XRpredator]

. . . I can't believe there are so many 14/15 year olds on here!

neither can I :bang: