At this point these two entities have a tenuous relationship. For quite some time, I've been trying to phase out the car in favor of biking around town for most errands and outings. But here's the rub: the kid hates his helmet. Hates it.
I strap him in his super deluxe Trek trailer (scored from craigslist), snapping all the snaps and hitching the hitches. And he wails. I pedal down the street and he bellows his discontent. People stare. I peer into the cockpit and his head is cranked impossibly sideways, like he has lost all muscular control in his neck. It feels a little cruel. He is clearly not on board with cutting down on our family's carbon emissions.
Sure, I will perservere. After all, I am a card carrying member of Smart Trips, and let's face it; I could use the additional exercise. And if No Impact Man can do it in Manhattan, I can surely pull it off in Bellingham. I just wish I didn't feel like I was subjecting my child to undue torment in the name of alternative transportation.
Wish me good luck - by this summer we will be frolicking via bicycle hither and thither, giggling all the way.