Bicycling with Mather

I've always joked that I was born into a bicycle the way a Mongolian child of the steppe is born into the saddle -- riding from birth. My father is an ardent cyclist and used to carry toddler-aged me around on a rear-mounted bike seat, even in snowy Boston. Learning to ride was one of the pillars of my childhood, and I was very proud as a child to have never needed training wheels. To follow up on the analogy, when I'm on a bike, it feels like a natural extension of myself, supposedly the same way a Mongolian horseman feels about his steed.

With our move out to the Sunset, it became a much longer trek back and forth to Mather's daycare, which was still in the Haight. She and I would take the train together in the morning, but Mather would often lack patience on the train ride back home, when it was getting dark and she was tired (ie, she would throw a fit in front of all the other train passengers. Not fun.) So we were thinking about alternatives...and a bike seat seemed like the way to go. After all, I can ride nearly the entire distance between our house and Mather's daycare in Golden Gate Park, which is pleasant, and the girl certainly loves to go fast.

I bought a rear mounting bike seat and had the bike shop install it (I certainly didn't trust myself to the task!). While I was there, another dad with his daughter -- about four -- was buying her a new bike helmet because she had outgrown her old one. He heard me talking to the mechanic about children's helmets and offered me her old one -- for free! It fits Mather perfectly, and she's very enthusiastic about wearing it (sample dialog: "Daddy has helmet, Mather has helmet!").

Riding with a passenger does take a little getting used to. I don't typically talk while riding, but Mather talks the entire time ("bumpy!" or "I see stars!" when we're riding at night). She also kicks me in the posterior from time to time. I guess she wants me to go faster. I also ride much more carefully than usual. I don't take big risks when I'm riding by myself, but I do cut corners and I go pretty fast. Not when I've got Mather. It's a leisurely ride. But it's fun, and she loves it. And it sure beats a temper tantrum on a crowded N Judah.