What do you consider “bad” parenting? When I think of bad parenting the words “abuse,” “neglect” and “abandonment” come to mind; not the words “packing a kid on a bike.”
But that’s exactly what supermodel Elle MacPherson did with her 5-year-old son and not only did it get her in trouble with police, who deemed the gorgeous mother an “irresponsible, bad parent,” but it also landed her on the cover of a slew of British tabloids and incited national debate about what defines poor parenting.
Here’s how this entire incident got started: A few weeks ago MacPherson propped her five-year-old son Aurelius on to the handlebars of her bike and pedaled through London while also clutching onto a black bag. A number of passersby witnessing the balancing act called police and the U.K.’s Royal Prevention of Accidents stepped in.
Following the incident a bigwig from the Royal Prevention of Accidents went public admonishing MacPherson’s “irresponsible” behavior and called her a “bad parent.”
According to the executive’s statement: “It is both illegal and dangerous to carry more than one person on a bike that’s not designed for it. There are issues with balance and it is easy to fall off.”
MacPherson has yet to publicly comment about the incident, though I’m sure she hasn’t made light of the situation or the insinuation that she stinks at parenting.
I am not familiar with British law nor do I have all the facts in the case. However, I can think of far worse things that someone could do with a child than pack them on their bike’s handlebars. What’s more, it was never revealed why MacPherson chose a bike as her mode of transportation. Did her car break down and she was forced to borrow a stranger’s bike to get to another destination with her son? Or, did her son run after her after she left home and beg to come along? (I realize I am grasping at straws here, but I’m trying to give this woman the benefit of the doubt.)
On the flip side, in fairness to the safety police in London, I’m sure they were only doing their job (though, I highly doubt labeling a person a “bad parent” is in their job description). Placing a child on the handlebars of a bike is not a smart move. Plus, MacPherson was also clutching a handbag, which supports the RPA’s argument that she compromised her son’s safety even more by trying to balance three things at once. But, perhaps, more incriminating is the fact that what MacPherson was doing was illegal. And I won’t even touch on the whole helmet issue (I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that protective headgear was not used in this situation).
What’s your take on the incident? Do you think that MacPherson is a bad parent or do you think that the RPA was too harsh in its judgment? Could it be that they are trying to make a model of the supermodel to illustrate to other parents that packing kids on bikes seriously threatens their safety? Have you ever packed your kid on a bike?
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