Bike Rules

The excitement about the new bicycles is still as high as it was on Christmas day.  We had to make a few rules, though. 

We want the kids to take care of their bikes.  They have to check the air in their tires and check for loose parts daily.   Most of them are doing really well with this.  They have to ride with their shoes on.  Yair loses his bike daily for this offense.  I usually give him two or three chances and he still loses it.  They can`t hit another bike, person, fence, building, swingset, etc.  Katy sometimes has her bike for 10 minutes before she loses it for this infraction.  They can't touch someone else's bike.  This is a little difficult for some of them.  They have to do homework and chores before they can get on the bike.  For the ones that work, they cannot opt out of work to ride their bike.  Sisi tried this yesterday.  It did not work.  She had to work.  It made her mad and she pouted most of the afternoon.

I have to laugh sometimes, because some of them just cannot follow these rules. 

Several have been up to the bicycle repair shop for minor little things.  And, because so many of them have been, people have been asking how many new bikes are there?  Everyone in town knows there are new bikes at Casa de Esperanza.  They do not want to chain their bikes up at night.  They are afraid someone will steal them.  Every night, they put their bicycles in the dorm and then we double lock the door.  On this, they are being really responsible.  Several of them start pushing or riding the bikes over to the dorm at 5:15.  Two or three of the kids move them into the dorm and someone always counts to make sure all the bikes are inside before we leave.

Maybe some day everyone will want to leave their shoes on and not have wrecks.