Let's Take the Mini-Kick!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 
Living in Fells Point, our family's daily routine has included walking around the neighborhood. This ritual accomplishes so many things for us collectively.
As for me, it is a chance to have impromptu, (adult) conversations, grab a much needed coffee, pick up groceries while commending myself on my greenness, and well, to get the heck out of the house. My kids have always been willing participants as they too get to see friends, grab a chocolate milk, and burn off some energy. The last part being the tricky part for me, as I needed them tired for bedtime, but I was sort of addicted to using my stroller.
I just could not bring myself to leave it and venture out with the potential for my walk being cut short by some leg weary or bored child. Soon though, I began to feel uneasy about all of my walking and all of their sitting. I wanted a way to fulfill my need for sustained forward motion and their need for daily exercise.
I thought scooters would be the perfect solution. Believing they would simply outgrow them within a year, we just got the inexpensive, big store ones. The kids were excited when they saw them. Riding down the sidewalk was not so fun. The wheels would catch on the cracks in the pavement and stones would stop the wheels giving me much unwanted anxiety. The playground was a better place to ride, with it's smooth areas, but that was not my point! I wanted to travel! I ended up carrying them (the scooters) to and from the playground and the kid's interest waned, leaving us once again in the stroller.
I had put the scooter idea aside until one day I saw my friend almost sprinting down the sidewalk, full speed in pursuit of her two year old. Really red faced sprinting. As the kid turned the corner, with total ease, I knew there was something really great about that scooter he was riding. It turned out, as spring appeared, that the kids I saw actually riding, not carrying, or falling off their scooters, were the ones on the Mini-Kick.
Priding myself on my frugal (but hopefully fun) family management, the cost of this ultimate riding toy seemed prohibitive. I couldn't stop thinking about it though, and finally, deciding I could just skip my next haircut, went ahead and bought one for my daughter for her birthday.
I will say now that every city kid should have one. The sidewalk cracks and gravel are no problem, and the constant and speedy forward motion is so nice for this mom. Now when we leave for a walk, she just gets her scooter and we go. We can literally be out for hours without her getting tired of riding. It's really been great knowing that wherever we are going it will be fun, easy, and productive just to get there.
For another great testimonial about the Mini-Kick, check out Nina McCarthy's Post.
Reader Comments (5)
Awesome, Jenny! Glad to hear that your investment in the right scooter improved your trips to the park. :-)
Jenny, This is such a great post and I can't wait until Fiona is big enough for a Mini-Kick. (We both know SHE can't wait either!)
Not too long until Fiona will be rocking the Mini-Kick, too!
There is just one mini kick model but they come in a variety of colors: pink, blue, aqua, green, orange, yellow, red... Let us know if you need more info. Feel free to call the stores. 410-342-5000 or 410-415-0000.
Scooters for kids are generally safe to ride and it is best gift for kids. Scooters for kids come in all shapes and sizes. High quality kick scooter are available at reasonable rates from online stores.
mini scooter