Does anyone wear a helmet for skateboarding?

[Anonymous]

It's like all of my DS's friends have forgotten about helmets! They still wear them when riding bikes but completely ignore them when skateboarding!

[Anonymous]

I wish. I spot-check at the skatepark, and hold the threat of being the world's most embarrassing mom in public over my kid's head about it, but I'm sure it's not on his head when I'm not around. There are some places (Charm City Skatepark, for example) where at least enough folks wear helmets so that it's not outside the norm.

[Anonymous]

it's the same in our neighborhood even though in DC the helmet law applies to skateboards too, not sure about MD and VA.

[Anonymous]

You catch him without the helmet, you take away the skateboard. For a long enough time that he really feels it.

I agree with you -- they wear them for biking then get on a skateboard and it's uncool. Better an uncool kid than an injured or dead one. The fall from a moving skateboard could be as bad as a fall from a moving bike.

Now the "let kids be kids and not wear safety equipment" contingent will probably come out of the woodwork here, OP. Ignore. Do what you think will work for YOUR kid and your sense of his safety. Make your own kid's skateboarding totally dependent on whether he wears his helmet, period. Not just takes it but wears it. And yeah, you will probably have to try to catch him without it and enforce the no helmet, no skateboard rule very firmly to make him see you mean business and you really will take that skateboard away, and not let him go "watch" friends who are skateboarding when he's without his own board--because he'll be using theirs for sure.

[Anonymous]

How did I survive childhood without a helmet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did I survive childhood without a helmet?

You were lucky. Along the lines of people who smoke for 30 years and still don't have lung cancer lucky. Doesn't negate the fact that you actively risk death when smoking and you actively risk death when skating without a helmet.

Only dumb people smoke. Only dumb people skate without a helmet. Or kids too young to really be able to make a mature decision which is when a smart and caring enough adult should step in and make sure they always wear a helmet.

OP...there's plenty of cool skater helmets around. Show your kid professional skating videos, competitions etc. with EVERYONE wearing helmets. Feel free to show them injuries that happened when people didn't wear helmets if step one isn't fruitful.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who lost a teenage son b/c of a skateboard accident.

If anyone needs it, I would be happy to forward the obituary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You catch him without the helmet, you take away the skateboard. For a long enough time that he really feels it.

I agree with you -- they wear them for biking then get on a skateboard and it's uncool. Better an uncool kid than an injured or dead one. The fall from a moving skateboard could be as bad as a fall from a moving bike.

Now the "let kids be kids and not wear safety equipment" contingent will probably come out of the woodwork here, OP. Ignore. Do what you think will work for YOUR kid and your sense of his safety. Make your own kid's skateboarding totally dependent on whether he wears his helmet, period. Not just takes it but wears it. And yeah, you will probably have to try to catch him without it and enforce the no helmet, no skateboard rule very firmly to make him see you mean business and you really will take that skateboard away, and not let him go "watch" friends who are skateboarding when he's without his own board--because he'll be using theirs for sure.

Perfect advice here.

[Anonymous]

Google Joseph Stanton from Texas.

[Anonymous]

My DS wears a helmet for biking and snowboarding no problem but it's a big problem for us when he's skateboarding. I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

My street has a big hill and little traffic so we have regular skate boarders...they really do seem to wear helmets. My guess is they are 13-14 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's like all of my DS's friends have forgotten about helmets! They still wear them when riding bikes but completely ignore them when skateboarding!

Have you talked to the friends' mothers? They probably don't know their kids aren't wearing them.

[Anonymous]

Kid in my son's class at school has a very famous skateboarder as an uncle. Gets a new super high end board AND HELMET every year from his uncle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid in my son's class at school has a very famous skateboarder as an uncle. Gets a new super high end board AND HELMET every year from his uncle.

That's awesome. I also make my kids wear helmets when they're on scooters.
If it has wheels, we all wear helmets (even mom and dad).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who lost a teenage son b/c of a skateboard accident.

If anyone needs it, I would be happy to forward the obituary.

Spotchecker mom here. I'll take you up on this offer. I'm sorry for your friend's loss.