Anna, Josh, & the Ever Multiplying M Kids, Part 11: His Cheating Heart

[SapphireSlytherin]

6 hours ago, VixenToast said:

Helmets are cool, mmmkay?!

Dress for the slide, not the ride.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

I used to stand up in my dad's convertible when I was little enough to not be taller than the windshield. It was awesome. You'd get pulled over and be on the news for that now! Not recommending it though. Safety first.

[TeddyBonkers]

My state does not have a helmet law for motorcycles, and it freaks me right the hell out. I'm always super cautious around motorcycles as a general rule (look 3 times, not 2) because they are much more vulnerable than a car. Add on no head protection? NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I never wore a bike helmet growing up, but I also didn't bike frequently. I did go ass over handlebars the first time I rode a bike and realized I didn't know how to stop. I decided to run into a hay bale and flipped over into a pile of hay. Now that the kids and I bike almost every day it's helmets for all of us.

Oh, and if no one has picked "Mingus" for a name, let me be the first to do so.

[kachuu]

11 minutes ago, TeddyBonkers said:

My state does not have a helmet law for motorcycles, and it freaks me right the hell out. I'm always super cautious around motorcycles as a general rule (look 3 times, not 2) because they are much more vulnerable than a car. Add on no head protection? NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I never wore a bike helmet growing up, but I also didn't bike frequently. I did go ass over handlebars the first time I rode a bike and realized I didn't know how to stop. I decided to run into a hay bale and flipped over into a pile of hay. Now that the kids and I bike almost every day it's helmets for all of us.

Oh, and if no one has picked "Mingus" for a name, let me be the first to do so.

Same to ALL of this. I didn't grow up with a helmet and i feel super lucky looking back on it. But I am going to make sure my kids do.

Also-  I have some family who live in SC where there is no helmet law for motorcycles and i am BAFFLED by it. You go way faster on a motorcycle AND YOU GET ON ROADS WITH TRAFFIC. Why on earth would you not want a helmet for THAT?!

[Flossie]

I've got two relatives that are alive due to wearing a helmet, although they were riding motorcycles when they had their accidents.  One relative was hit by a woman who was on pain meds and she didn't realize how they would affect her, so she suddenly drifted into his lane and hit him.  Both of them were able to hit their breaks enough to keep the impact from being too bad, but my relative did roll onto her hood and broke her windshield with his helmeted head.  He had some minor back problems and a concussion, but he made a full recovery.  

The other relative was trying out a friend's new motorcycle and wasn't prepared for the increase of power and speed he was used to.  The ride was so smooth that he didn't realize how fast he was going, didn't make a corner, and wrapped himself around a tree.  The helmet was smashed, and the tree was a young tree that had a lot of spring in it, or it would have been a worse accident.  As it was, he was airlifted to the nearest trauma center and spent a few weeks in the hospital, but he had a full recovery.

When my mom was a teen she was driving with her parents and her sister to take her sisters friend home one day.  The adults were in the front seat, the girls were in the back.  They were hit head on by a drunk driver that had multiple accidents in the past.  (Drunk driving back in the 50's wasn't seen as a big deal.)  Anyway, there were seatbelts in the front seat of Mom's car, but not in the back. 

Grandpa was driving, and wearing his seatbelt.  He survived with some broken ribs.  Mom's friend said "This is going to hurt and braced her leg against the front seat of the car.  The impact caused all three of her main leg bones to break.  Mom threw herself down on the floor, her sister threw herself across the seat.  They were shook up and bruised, but otherwise OK.  

Grandma wasn't wearing her seatbelt.  She went through her windshield, through the other cars windshield, and ended up in the back seat of the other car.  She had both of her arms broken because she'd tried to shield her head with her arms.  She had multiple skull fractures, and was in a coma.  She had a lot of internal injuries.  Doctors set her arms and did what they could for her other injuries, but she was expected to die.  

But Grandma was made of sterner stuff than that.  She might have been a slightly built woman who'd had over a dozen kids, but she wasn't ready to check out right then.  After a couple of days the doctors decided that maybe they shouldn't count her out too soon.  I don't know how long Grandma spent the in the hospital, but she eventually returned to her normal life and lived into her 90's.

Helmets and seatbelts are required in our family.

[WiseGirl]

May I introduce another topic on the no seatbelt use when young? Back in the old days when I was a child, we used to sit in the back of a pickup truck when going to the dump. We all thought this was super exciting. Seriously a big group of us would be there with the trash and it was a treat! As children it never occurred to us that it would be dangerous, we could fall out, etc.

[sawasdee]

20 minutes ago, WiseGirl said:

May I introduce another topic on the no seatbelt use when young? Back in the old days when I was a child, we used to sit in the back of a pickup truck when going to the dump.

In much of Asia, riding in the back of a pick up is a recognised form of transport, especially for to/from work. You will see up to a dozen people standing in the back of a pick up - safety conscious means only about 8 and sitting down

The other very popular transport is a scooter or small motorbike, such as a Honda Wave. Here in Thailand, only the driver is required to wear a helmet. It is not unusual to see a family of up to five on one bike, and only one helmet - on Dad. Some even have a small seat built below the handlebars for a very young - toddler to 3 or 4 - child.

The closest call I have had driving here was when a motorbike cut across in front of me when I was turning right - we drive on the left. His wife was riding pillion, with a baby no more than two months old in her arms. I stood on the brakes, which were very firm, and missed them by inches. I had to pull over, and the friend in the car with me and I literally shook for minutes. Then we went home - very slowly.

The road fatality rate here is very high, and almost all - motorbikes or pick ups are involved.

[lumpentheologie]

After college I did a stint doing caregiving for people with traumatic brain injuries. There was a young man I cared for who was about 25. When he had been 8 he was hit by a car while riding a bike without a helmet. He never really developed mentally past the level of an 8 year old, and in addition had a lot of trouble speaking, walking, and with fine motor skills. It was so sad.

Any future children of mine will definitely always be wearing a helmet. 

[Gobbles]

While most children wear helmets here, most adults don't. My Dad didn't wear one until he was standing at a traffic light waiting for it to go to green and a father with a little boy, both on bikes, came to wait as well. The little boy asked his father why my dad wasn't wearing a helmet. My Dad lied and said he forgot it at home, but since that day he wears one every single time. 

So a small unknown boy managed to do what my mother and I tried for a long time without success. 

(Currently waiting for the next little boy to tell him to loose some weight. Maybe we should hire one.)

Here we have a lot of hills so that could also lead to dangerous situations. 

[Antipatriarch]

1 hour ago, WiseGirl said:

Back in the old days when I was a child, we used to sit in the back of a pickup truck when going to the dump. We all thought this was super exciting. Seriously a big group of us would be there with the trash and it was a treat! As children it never occurred to us that it would be dangerous, we could fall out, etc.

Yeah, I remember a few times when I was young (probably in the 6-9 year range), once we went with someone to help chop wood, and once we helped someone move. Both times my dad and I rode in the pickup truck bed, sitting amongst wood and furniture. Squicks me out to think of this now!

P.S. @WiseGirl is your handle by chance a reference to "Stranger in a Strange Land"?

[Flossie]

Kids riding in the back of pickups were a common thing when I was a child.  We never had any trouble with it that I can recall, although I didn't like riding in the back because of the wind.  Part of my hair kept getting blown into my face, and the rest of my hair would get into a mess that was a pain to brush out.

Funny thing was, my parents didn't have a problem with kids riding in the back of the pickup, but when we moved to a new house, my dad secured the dog house in the back of the truck, put our St. Bernard in it, and then wrapped chains around the lower part of the dog house so only the dog's head stuck out.  I remember riding in the backseat of my mom's station wagon as Mom followed the pickup to the new house while the dog sat regally in her doghouse and watched us.  

[Daisy0322]

I grew up in the 90's...In a strange turn of events helmet safety was big at school. My parents grew up without them and never really thought about it. I was about 6 when I declared I would no longer ride my bike until I got a helmet. My parents didn't really think it was important but my dad took me to the store and I picked one out. Then I took it to school to have my teacher help me get it to fit. About a year later, I was riding down a hill and hit a rock. I flew over the handle bars and landed head first in the street. I sat up and the helmet was around my shoulders because it had CRACKED RIGHT IN HALF! I would've been in the ICU if not dead with out that helmet and I walked back home with just a few scratches. Well, guess what! My parents 19 years later still don't wear a damn helmet. They ride their bikes all the time too, especially my mom. Last summer I bought her a really nice light weight helmet and she "wears it" only on bike paths and won't tighten it so it slides off her head anyway or she won't buckle it.... makes me mad every time I think about it!

[JDuggs]

55 minutes ago, Daisy0322 said:

I grew up in the 90's...In a strange turn of events helmet safety was big at school. My parents grew up without them and never really thought about it. I was about 6 when I declared I would no longer ride my bike until I got a helmet.

And this is one of the reasons the Duggars don't send their kids to school. Schools indoctrinate children to believe that safety is important. It caused you to have an opinion contrary to your parents which can't be correct!

[onekidanddone]

When I was 11 I spent the summer with my aunt, uncle and cousins on the Rez in Arizona. My youngest cousin and I used to ride in the back my my uncle's Toyota  FJ40 with the top the roof and sides off and windshield down. We would stand up holding on the roll bar as my uncle floored it down a dirt road.  He was a physician and really should have known better.

[Audrey2]

But if you can't ride in the back of a pick-up, how can you do a hillbilly hot tub?

Spoiler

http://totalfratmove.com/hillbilly-hot-tubs-tfm/

 

[onekidanddone]

7 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

But if you can't ride in the back of a pick-up, how can you do a hillbilly hot tub?

I never heard of a Hillbilly hot tub before.  Don't think one would fit well in a mid 1970s Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser.

Damn that was one of the best summers I've ever had. I was practically feral. Sigh sometimes I miss being a kid in the summer.

 

[RosyDaisy]

I've done the hillbilly pool and slip 'n slide. Fun times.[emoji3]

[backyard sylph]

I've always worn a cycling helmet as an adult. On Monday, I gave up my old semi-fancy road bike (it's on eBay now) and bought a very girly city bike and attached a wicker basket to it. But my helmet didn't match, and also is ten years old and worn down inside, so I got a new one, thinking of you all because the brand is Bontrager. Keith Bontrager is known for having revolutionized the off-road bike frame some years ago. Every time someone mentions the Bontragers I blink at the reference.

[Exposedknees]

On 7/13/2017 at 11:49 AM, JDuggs said:

And this is one of the reasons the Duggars don't send their kids to school. Schools indoctrinate children to believe that safety is important. It caused you to have an opinion contrary to your parents which can't be correct!

It also makes me wonder about their pediatric care. My kids are grown now but when my kids were as young as 8, the pediatrician and nurse would ask the parent to step outside the exam room for a few minutes at the end of the well child yearly check-up. My daughters later said that they were asked if they wore\had helmets, ate regular meals, and felt safe in their homes. I always appreciated this and that the questions changed as they hit puberty. I felt like it gave them some body autonomy.

I didn't wear a helmet in the 70's. My kids did in the 90's for safety and it's a law in NC for children under 18 on bikes.

[catlady]

when my sister and i were under 10, our parents would let us take turns sitting on the center console of their Chevrolet Vega on long car rides.  my mother is embarrassed now for letting us do that because it would have been so easy for us to go flying through the windshield on all those mountain roads in New Hampshire.  my sister and i don't say "we did it and we're fine;" we know we're lucky to be alive.

[sta_sha]

I wonder if Josh is part of this class action suit? http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/15/ashley-madison-agrees-class-action-settlement/

If a judge signs off, it's possible he might see a bit of money. 

[WiseGirl]

On 7/13/2017 at 9:47 AM, Antipatriarch said:

P.S. @WiseGirl is your handle by chance a reference to "Stranger in a Strange Land"?

 among other references. 

[TeamDefraudinSquad]

9 hours ago, sta_sha said:

I wonder if Josh is part of this class action suit? http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/15/ashley-madison-agrees-class-action-settlement/

If a judge signs off, it's possible he might see a bit of money. 

(Up to) $3,500.00 would buy a lot of frozen tator tots!  

[Four is Enough]

19 minutes ago, TeamDefraudinSquad said:

(Up to) $3,500.00 would buy a lot of frozen tator tots!  

Or another membership in an Ashley Madison-esque organization....

[jqlgoblue]

I'm an 80's child so helmets were not a thing. Also, since when do kids need to be in car seats until they are 8 years old? Maybe my childhood was dangerous, but that seems excessive... what do kids do on school busses? I'm so confused...