I'm only a part-time parent, so I probably will never have the
opportunity to drag an unwilling child to a ride they don't want to go
to, but it seems to me that the important thing is that the parent is
interested in the child and is making an effort to do things as a
family. Last night's news had reports of three 8 year old boys and a
girl locking themselves into a school room to have sex, and everyday you
hear about young kids getting involved in crack, gangs and drive-by
shootings. Here in L.A., it's so common they hardly even report it
anymore. Most of the kids I've seen at rides seem to be pretty good
people. I would never condone a parent to force a child to ride just to
rack up year-end miles, but it sure beats ignoring them altogether. OK,
I'll get off my soapbox now :->.
Susan Evans