Helmet

No.

Sorry.

This article isn’t about the band named Helmet. Although, that might be a super fun follow-up, next week, next Saturday, next time…..or whenever.

This one IS about the safety headwear named ‘helmet’.

Helmets. They are necessary, in many situations. Helmets are essential for some sports. Necessary for the younger set because they have limited motor-skills. Necessary for survival in some cases.

In fact, I feel sorry for some of the younger folks when they just want to ride their new wheeled contraption, whatever it is: a scooter, a mini-motorbike, an electric bike, a longboard, a Penny board, or even Heelys. Their parents worry so much for the life of the child they force it, the child, to put on a full face helmet, kneepads, elbow pads, hockey pads, shoulder pads, and an inflatable sumo suit.

The helmet, of course, becomes debatable in its effectiveness when you’re a round ball of padding, able to roll for a mile and a half on your own mid-section. At that point you don’t even need wheels or a wheeled contraption.

What really makes me pity the children though, is how sweaty and uncomfortable one of those motorcycle helmets is. And they are being forced to wear one while riding a scooter? How humiliating. Bad enough, I would say, that you can’t look cool on a scooter. It’s an impossible task to make a scooter look cool. Then to throw a kid out there on the street on a scooter and slam a motorcycle helmet on his head…..you may as well drive him to school on a really short bus.

Helmets don’t make people look weird, or less intelligent. In fact, the opposite is true. Watch Andy Anderson skateboarding on YouTube.

Crazy Wisdom – @authenticandyanderson

It says a lot about a pro when one puts a helmet on his head. The action is admirable because the pro is showing kids, and the parents who force them into helmets and padding, that the helmet is not a bad decision on anyone’s part. The type of helmet, however…..

A fact I’ve been neglecting so far is that there are specific helmets for specific actions. You don’t wear a mountain climbing helmet to go underwater exploring, for one extreme example.

You do, however, wear a motorcycle helmet when riding a motorcycle. Seems obvious, but there are those people out there in the world who need this kind of reminder.

The helmet is an amazing creation. It can be used well, and it can be misused. If you sweat inside your helmet, don’t forget to wash it often. If you crack it, get your head checked for cracks too. And if you lose it, get a new one right away. (Yes, your head, and/or your helmet.)

Lastly, for those parents who pad their children excessively: when you do that, you may be telling the child not to get hurt, but in one way you’re telling them that you’re daring them to get hurt. You’re saying, “Just try to get hurt in this body armor.”