Reaction File: Moms and Dads

Women in general act more hospitably than men when it comes to sidewalk encounters of me and my unicycle. Whereas single men tend to ignore me or to pretend I don't exist, single women are generally more likely to smile. But men and women with children are a whole nother matter.

I attribute this to the way our society has become so child-centric. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact many more women work outside of the home, so when they're with their kids, they let the kids run the show more than moms did a generation ago. Dads have even less of a clue about parenting skills than their wives. And then there is our general decline in acceptable outdoor behavior.

When I started riding in 1980, kids might point to me, and I might hear the word 'unicycle' as I rode by, but the entire affair was on the QT. I was pointed out, but it was done in a relatively classy way. Nowadays, kids shout, "Look, Mom, a guy on a one-wheeler!" and the parents, rather than admonishing junior about pointing at strangers, merely say, "That's called a unicycle." Everything's a friggin' "teachable moment" except that very few parents teach their kids about manners.

Sometimes the parent notices me before the kid does. Then I hear, "Look, Persimmon, see the man on the unicycle?" while Mom or Dad swivels the stroller around so that the 18-month-old can get a better look. I'm not bitter but I do find this funny. I mean, I don't even remember the most important event of the first three years of my life -- the Apollo moon landing -- and these parents act as if their diapered offspring are going to be impressed (and impressed upon) by a 5-second encounter with someone on a funny bicycle.

By far the oddest behavior I've seen came from a woman I passed last year. She was taking Buster for a walk when I rode by. She picked him up, tilted him in my direction, and cooed, "Look, Buster, a man on a one-wheeler." Buster wasn't impressed. He licked her face and then tugged on his leash. Buster was a pug.