Five Rules for Sibling Snapdeck Harmony

School has been out all week for mid-winter break. Who fabricated that vacation anyway? I don’t recall a week off in February when I was young. I’d rather skip it and get the kids out of school a little earlier in June. But no one asked me.

The time off has actually been nice for us. It’s refreshing to not be late for anything for an entire week. We’ve had a lot of fun. We’ve enjoyed a rare stretch of sunshine that I could really get used to–waking up to sunshine makes the day start better.

This is the time of year we start to see our neighbors again. As people emerge from their warm, dry homes we all make a little time to catch up over fences and along sidewalks. 

The kids and I have had lots of fun riding around the city: visiting parks, grandma, the library, eating pain au chocolate (Shhhh….don’t tell Tim) at the coffee shop and splurging on the occasional pizza lunch. Not a bad way to spend the week.  

I have also learned a thing or two about hauling two (growing) kids on a daily basis. Since the oldest is in school all day every day, I don’t usually have to haul them both around all the time. And after school when I have both, it’s usually just short trips (downhill!) from school, or to a friend’s house.

But this week, the three of us have done our fair share of riding together–right around 25 miles. The extra weight is no problem on the flats and most hills. No, the real problem is the normal sibling bickering. And to make matters worse, they always seem to start when I’m huffing up a hill.

So to keep our riding bliss intact, I set down a few rules:

1. The fight instigator has to get off and walk
2. The kid who can reach the snacks in the SideLoaders, has to serve them
3. No wiggling (throws off the balance) 
4. It’s not OK to run away while mom is locking up the bike
5. No obscene gestures at passing cars (actually, that one’s just for Tim)

So far they’ve worked pretty well. Feel free to borrow them or comment with your own. Spring break is less than six weeks away. I think I’m going to need a few more rules by then.

 – Anne