Risky Business

Consuming art, books and a bit of danger.

Dear Friends,

I am breaking up “Your Road Map Of Life” series (here is Part One and Part Two ICYMI) with a photo journal.

My daughter and I took another Mother Daughter trip back to the Big Apple late 2023 before the hard winter months landed. We had such a great time last Spring that we were eager to get back.

The first half of our week we had sunshine and warmth. The second half of our week it was incredibly windy and rainy. Many an umbrella broke!

On the days of sunshine we rode all over the city, this time leaving the confines of Central Park, braving a few quieter city streets, and even making our way to Governors Island. We not only rode for fun but we rode for utility as a means to get from point A to point B.

I understand that some may get quite concerned I let my daughter ride a bicycle with me in Manhattan. I get it. It’s risky. She could get hurt.

You may recall, however, that I am a big believer in giving our children the independence and hedged risk that science shows they need in order to thrive and launch, as I shared in this piece.

University of British Columbia Professor Mariana Brussoni who has been writing important work on the value of outdoor risky play, including, Why Children Need Risk, Fear, and Excitement in Play, shares the following:

Risky play, as the name implies, means that kids can get hurt, and that their chances of getting hurt are higher than if they’re more sedentary and playing quietly. On the surface, it’s not clear why a need for risky play would evolve across species, if it increases the chances that something bad will happen to those who partake in it. But when we dig a little deeper, its benefits become obvious. Risky play provides children with low-cost opportunities to develop the physical and cognitive skills to master the challenges that they will face as they grow older. So, those who engaged in it had a major evolutionary advantage over those who did not.   Physically, risky play allows children to explore more diverse movements and gain physical movement skills. Cognitively, it helps them overcome their fears, build their critical thinking skills, and become accustomed to coping independently with difficult situations.

During our cycling expedition, we walked with our bikes on sidewalks along the roads that were busy, and rode the smaller streets that were calm, in addition to the roads that had long and wide blocked off bicycle lanes. It was a tad scary at moments yet also positively thrilling for both of us. The exact right balance of risk from which we finished our cycling journey feeling confident in our capabilities while having learned new (or in my case brushed up on old) skills.

A few statistics to consider:

• 38 children died in bike traffic fatalities in 2021. ~ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• 176 children died in pedestrian traffic fatalities in 2021. ~ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• 1184 children age 14 and under died as car passengers in 2021. ~ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

“Children should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.” ~ Mariana Brussoni

While sunshine equalled lots of bike riding, rain equalled some of our favorite indoor activities including a fantastic museum day, Broadway theatre going, and a well researched tour of independent book stores throughout Manhattan.

A few Met exhibit highlights we particularly enjoyed …

And Avedon’s floor to ceiling black and white photographs were extraordinary.

That’s all for today. A brief check in. Sending you all love and wishes for some time enjoying whatever makes your heart sing and gives you a healthy dose of appropriate risk.

xoxo, WRW