Buying a DIRTBIKE for My Boys

A week or so ago, the boys and I went to look at some dirt bikes and four-wheeler. It's just something they got me thinking about. They've been asking for these things for years. I have two big hesitations, and one is, well, it costs money, and two, it could be dangerous.

Okay, Papa.

Why do you say okay? You think I'm like Papa? Cheap?

Yep.

If he's watching this in heaven, he's laughing right now.

He got you four-wheelers.

He is cheap. Yes, he did get me four-wheelers, and that, that's one reason I'm hesitant. I was crazy on them. See, I let them get responsibility. They're doing chores, they're riding a side-by-side. Has a roll bar, it's big, it's not rear, it's not crazy fast.

Get a big four-wheeler.

So why do you want a dirt bike?

Because he has an electric bike.

You're not selling me very well.

Well, I want to ride it.

Why do you want a four-wheeler?

To help me out on the farm.

Oh, I like that one. I think you gave me the Sunday school answer.

The boys are getting four-wheelers and stuff. Can I get a horse?

Oh boy, that— and then it begins. They didn't— a little bit, honey, for a horse. Okay, so you have to keep— they're older, they have a little bit more responsibilities. Uh, I'm not completely opposed to a horse. I do think we need to get a couple more acreage under our belts, and you need to get a couple of more years.

How about one or two turkey?

Because the animals— or a horse is a living being. We got to be real Serious about that?

But how about when I turn 13?

Yeah, I mean, that's a possibility. How old are you right now?

10. I'll be 11 next month.

Let's load Sally. Let's make sure we got everything for milking. Did the calves stay separated last night?

Yeah.

So just giving them some space helped?

Well, they— I don't know.

I think so. There are two factors. We did put the calves up late last night, but I think it's— I think it's being far away. I think it's when the mom's right there, it's too tempting. It's like me with this with carnivore diet. It's not hard until I see chocolate and peanut butter. How are the breeder pigs, man? They staying in? I do have two remedies for my problems, one being— okay, expensive. You guys have worked hard for a long time. These kids, these boys, they work harder than any other kids I know. We've been earning money, been making content. You've been helping me with that. You sold those pigs. Good job. Something's got to motivate you on those days that the pigs get out and it's, it's the 200th day you've done this chore and it's raining. Something's got to motivate you, right? Oh my, okay, we should get this for the chickens. Uh, there's maggots falling out the door because they left some food in there, and this is just crazy chicken food. I think these might be soldier flies. So they're not as gross as maggots, right?

Well, no, they're maggots. Get something to scrape them out. Oh, it's so gross.

That is disgusting, guys. There's grass growing in here. I guess that's probably— that's probably wheat or something from the grain. There you go. Watch, one of them will catch some and then they'll all figure it out. See? Josiah, don't do like me. When I first— I got a chance to ride a motorcycle. My nephew Jeremiah had— who's same age as me— had a motorcycle, a dirt bike. It was a little dirt bike, probably same size you're gonna get, a little 125, maybe it was an 80. And I got on that motorcycle, and I'd ridden bikes before, I'd ridden four-wheelers before. Well, I got on that motorcycle and I gassed it, and there was a big pile of firewood or logs or whatever, crashed right into it. Tweak my wrist a little bit. Never rode another motorcycle ever again.

I'm not gonna do that.

We do make him wear a helmet. So that's, that's the thing. I do believe— I, I think in my heart, I believe it's good for children to do dangerous things safely. You don't have to be an idiot. I think you guys can be careful and we can have rules. How are you going to use a dirt bike on the farm?

I'll go check, check my pigs with it.

Okay. Yeah, they're way out in the woods, up in the woods, so that's not bad. I mean, that's helping them. That is helping their case that I do think, uh, especially a four-wheeler, can be extremely useful on the farm. It would be nice if it could serve and pull that milk.

Sally can barely.

Yeah, the calves have stayed in. That's because the mamas are one— are one separated. So let's start doing that tonight though. There's no way to do it tonight because the cows are going to be here and the sheep are going to be over there. We can't put the calves over anywhere, none of these paddocks. They're all right next door. So we're gonna have to do the pig panels. Uh-oh, it's pressured. Okay, who's gonna stay there? And keep it off that fence. That's cap. The reason we're doing a drop is we're picking up a half of a fork. We're not picking up cuts. Everybody wants to take a cooler, but we'd have to lay a whole— and they were pretty big, so we're gonna have to lay it in there on ice to keep it, to keep it cool during the hour transport. We're gonna have to keep this carcass frozen until the 22nd. Okay, zero, that's good. We got Big Daddy and Grandma off. Just made a few phone calls. I'm glad I did because the normal place where we got, where we got Sally doesn't have Hondas. We got to have a Honda for her. Pete, Uncle Pete said we got to have a Honda. Thankfully the one in Hendersonville has one left. In the meantime, a gigantic tent for our Abundance Plus display for the events we're going to. Made in America! Oh, I'm excited about that. I hope you guys come see us in Ohio at the Food Independence Summit and then Homesteaders of America in October. So Ohio and then Virginia, and come see us, the Abundance Plus booth. Look who's here! Oh my gosh, she said one dude picked it up. Well, he— I'm gonna tell you this, he made it look easy.

Are we gonna cook that whole thing?

Is it frozen? Oh, it's in a bag.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh heck yeah!

We did it!

All right, only lost 2 degrees. It was at -3. We gotta finish training. We gotta eat. Then to the four-wheeler place. How is it? Fantastic. Oh, it's so good. This plate, her plate. You going carnivore today, buddy? Look at this. I've never— well, never seen you clean so fast and then clean up without being asked. Where are you gonna go?

I don't know, one place.

Oh, there's one left. We got time. Hopefully they, they're not flying off the shelf.

Yes, can we hurry?

Speaking of safety, okay, and letting your kids do things, uh, Jordan Peterson.

If you're going to make your kids tough, which they better be if they're going to survive in the world, you can't interfere when they're doing dangerous things carefully.

Think about it, that specifically, dangerous things carefully. That's such a place where kids learn.

That is the only place they learn. That's where everyone learns everything. When you're doing dangerous things carefully, man, that's where you learn. And so you interfere with that, you interfere with the process by which your children expand their competence. And it takes courage not to interfere with that.

We got to do dangerous things carefully. That means when we drive a car, we go the speed limit and put on our seat belts. Driving cars is dangerous.

And that's why I'm getting a helmet.

That's right. I remember one time my dad came home and in the back of his pickup truck was a brand new Yamaha 80 four-wheeler. You just surprised us. Me? That was for me. And buddy, I rode, I rode that like crazy. I guess that's partly why I do this, because hopefully you guys can use it for the farm, but you're gonna use it a lot. I see the Honda sign. I see it. You're so excited. It's good for me. I forget, I forget what that's like. Child excitement. Bringing back memories. Dang, I think that's it right there. The Foreman or the Rancher. Look at this old bike. Let's see what they got for your 125. That's too big, isn't it? Is that too big for you?

I was thinking that one.

You have to grow into that one. What's that one?

It's an older, uh, 80. Okay, which is the same thing as a small wheel 125.

All right, do you think this 125 is too big? Oh, we're gonna find out.

Come around this other side.

He's never rode a motorcycle. Now he's wearing a lecture.

That doesn't matter. Uh, crawl on there, see if you can pick it up.

Put your foot over here. Now can you?

Oh yeah, he can pick it up.

That's his size. How'd you know? How'd you know?

He's flat-footed over here.

Yeah, he can put his foot on the peg here and he can pick it up.

Okay, now if he's flat-footed both sides, he's too big for him.

Do you think that bike's too big for you? You think? You don't think so?

No, I don't think it's not.

I don't want you going 50.

I don't want to go 50.

You heard the governor, it's the thing.

Okay, 500's got the headlight.

Okay, that's the only difference?

No, the 500 comes with a headlight.

Okay, 420s don't.

Okay, but I've got two 520s, the green one and the red one.

Oh, okay, I see. Love you too, bye. Okay, I just got off the phone with Rebecca, just making sure we're gonna do this. Yes. All right boys, so four-wheeler for the farm, motorcycle for you guys, and y'all take turns. You can ride the electric bike, you can ride the motorbike, and then switch.

Yep.

Okay. Hey, what do you recommend on the bikes for safety?

Uh, helmet, goggles, gloves.

Okay, you got that in stock? Now you boys have helmets.

Yeah.

But when you're talking about some kind of boots—

yeah, yeah, I don't know how thick it is, but farm boots.

Yeah. Okay, not in tennis shoes.

Uh, not really recommended.

Okay. Gloves. Another helmet.

My helmet's too big.

Now if they're, if they're riding together, you gotta have goggles. Let's keep the dirt out of the eyes because one's gonna be in front of the other.

Okay, he's getting it out. All right, we're gonna get some work done with that. How's the glove? He said you gotta wear gloves, you gotta wear a helmet and boots. Better not wear the tennis shoes. But you just want it to fit snug. You want to fit front to back, left to right.

You want to be snug. You don't want to be hurting.

I can't fault my dad for this, but I do wonder, you know, one of the differences here— I think that you'll be more careful than I was— is because you guys are buying this, not me. What do you think, man?

It's so fat.

It's so cool. You guys look good on that thing. We got to put the calves up. They don't care. They don't care if you got a new motorbike. What do you think about these tractors? Everything's a tractor. That was his first word tractor. Daddy Winnie, what do you think, Mom?

Well, we had a Honda red four-wheeler.

Yeah, we did a long time ago. Yeah, we did in our early marriage. Yeah, we ever have another. Just bring back memories.

But here we are. Yeah, this one's a lot beefier than the one we have.

Oh yeah, yeah, I think we had a 220. This is like a 440 or something crazy. Josiah, you got to give our pigs these squash. Oh yeah, let's do that tomorrow. That'd be fun. Jonah's saying to put them right here. They're gonna have this—

there's a 50-footer right there. We could put it like in a corner like this and then leave them on that side. Look, anything would be better than doing that cattle panel.

I—

it's gonna be—

yeah, where's your 50-footer?

Right over there.

Do that, that's fine. I gotta let them help make decisions. It is going to be tough to put them in pig panels, so if we can help it, we won't. He's got the calves without the mama. At some point they do get the habit and they get to doing it without the moms.

And you can just sometimes just open the gate and they'll walk in, and then you'll put up the 50-foot net.

These boys are ready to go, raring to go. New fun, exciting things like this always work better with a camera. Do you know how to stop? Yeah, the pedal brake or that brake. You have to go slow. Don't give it any gas. Do you know how to give gas? Okay, don't give it any gas yet. Just go down to turn around. Don't hit the Suburban. Oh my, he's good. How was the first ride? Nobody can ever take that away from you. Go ahead, man. There goes Jonah. Oh man, I'm not— I don't come from a motorcycle family. I don't know what this is. Why you guys got to bring motorcycles into the house?

It's awesome! It has some power.

RDS gonna go to third. He's proficient on that thing. Must be y'all's, uh, riding the electric bike. How was it, man? So cool!

So much safer than my electric bike.

Why?

The steering is so much more—

We'll probably get better brakes too. You guys look cool on it, I will say that. All right, let me see if I can redeem myself. I think it happened about right here. There was some wood pile here.

Oh, it happened here?

Yeah, I'm so alarmed. That was so cool. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. That was really cool.

Maybe you should get a dog.

I'm glad I redeemed myself like that. Bonnie, you should get yourself a dog. We're not going to be that family. No. This thing's super zippy. All right, bedtime. Best day ever, right?

Yeah.