Starting Them Young: Biking Toys and Paying Teenagers Not to Drive

I've been biking full-time for four years.  I regret not doing it earlier but there's nothing I can do about that now.  But I do wonder what impact biking will have on my progeny?

I realize the social pressure on teenagers to get their driving license is beyond my parental influence and the even more influential Voice of Reason (my lovely bride has only taken the van to school to teach once or twice this year).  So I have created an incentive to put off driving and to encourage biking, walking, public transit: I asked our insurance agent to provide me a quote for how much it would cost to add one of my progeny onto our auto insurance.  After I receive that number I will give my progeny half of that number.  So yes I am subsidizing my progeny for not driving (just like our government subsidizes cheap oil).  

With the other younger progeny I am hoping the continual days of biking will develop into a deeper love of biking which will hopefully make them not want to get their drivers licenses until much later.  

Which brings me to the point of this blog post.  

I think we need more bicycle themed toys.  Spaceships, remote controlled cars, boats, dolls, buildabears sure.  But what about more bikes - Barbie on a bike, buildabike shop in the mall, a bike built out of legos, bike puzzles, & etc. 

Today I turn 43, and my boys got me this.  

of course they thought it was hilarious that I wanted such a gift, "dad, you don't even have the rest of the CITY set to play with..."  Oh well, but I wonder why the Danish based company does not have more bikes in its sets?  

We got to start somewhere to make walking/biking/public transiting the new norm not an odd alternative.