Street Rules for Skateboards

This past Friday, my son turned eleven.  We temporarily suspended our over protective natures and bought him a coming of age present, a skateboard.  It's pretty cool. It's red and steel and sparks when you lift up the front.  We'd souped him up with elbow, knee and wrist pads and a helmet and I'd given strict rules about not being unafraid to fall, to not go near the street and to take it easy.

After an hour of willingly wilting in the heat,  I felt I'd chaperoned enough and allowed him to continue sans my presence.  Within fifteen minutes, my four year old came in and announced, "My brother is going to die."  I asked why.   "He's on a skateboard, it's dangerous true but I don't think..."  She shook her head, "He's going to fly down into the street and be hit by a car." I looked out and saw my son, his face glowing with pleasure, skating around the flat safe part of our driveway.  "It's really nice that you're so concerned about your brother." I started.

"If he goes to the hospital, we won't get cake." 

"Well, we'd bring him cake if he got hurt but I don't think you need to worry about that." My son came into the house and poured himself some ice water, his eyes were alight with the triumph of being the boy with the birthday having received his heart's desire.  "You know what's really fun Mom?"

"No, what?"  I was enjoying this experience of a happy eleven year old child.
"Riding down the hill face first."
...
Okay, so maybe my four year old wasn't exaggerating after all. I made a mental note to give her an extra big slice of cake.

Now I know rules often get drowned out so I employed the Socratic method.  "If you had to stop, what would hit the street first?" I asked. 

"My face?"
I nodded.

I told him I'd get him a mouth guard tomorrow and he added a new skateboarding rule. No Skeleton runs.