Sarah Todd: Giving children their independence is more than a gesture

There's a wide range of hand signals in my repertoire – ranging from "thank you" to "slow down" right through to the gestures whose meaning is unprintable. While on the old horse, they can all be carried out perfectly safely. She clip-clops along as the air turns blue as yet another idiot zooms past. On this occasion though, it was momentarily forgotten that we were on two wheels rather than four legs. Somebody whizzed by at well over 60mph and then another car tore up behind and overtook them – in front of an oncoming lorry. Automatically, as the children's young lives flashed in front of me, the hands rose up to make the rudest grade of signal and yours truly ended up in the hedge bottom. But back to those children, aged five and eight, who hit the headlines for cycling to school by themselves. My gut feeling is that 10 is about the right age for independent cycling. What we do is have the children on the pavement and then me on the road in a bid to get drivers to give a wider berth.

The other week, after rounders, our nine-year-old daughter biked half the way home by herself and while waiting for her at the designated meeting point all sorts of things flashed through my mind. But how else do they ever get any independence? She was so proud of herself.

One in three pupils say they would like to follow in her wheel-marks. In England, 8.3 million children travel to school every day but less than two per cent are allowed to cycle to their classrooms.

There's one thing for sure, the bikes will be staying at home for next week's Great Yorkshire Show. Much as they'd be a boon for beating the traffic we'd have a job to get there, at our snail-like pace, before next year's event.

The children have, as is becoming an annual tradition, been busy counting their egg money and wondering what they'll spend it on at the show. Their ponies might do well for treats this year as their coffers have received a welcome boost with a regular order – from one of the school mothers – for three dozen eggs.

Like many families we seem to fall into a show routine. A milkshake at what used to be the Milk Marketing Board stand, a run around the Army assault course for the egg entrepreneurs, the cattle stalls, sheep pens, shopping and show jumping for me. Cars, machines and the Black Sheep Baa…r for you-know-who. Too long there and he'll be on

his bike…

CW 10/7/10