safety third? dumb bells and death wishes

Something is seriously wrong with my son Alex.  Either he is a straight up dummy or he has a death wish.

The dummy daredevil

A few weeks ago, Alex asked to ride his bike down to his buddy August's house.  They were going to hang around and stuff.  So I said sure, you know, no big deal.  He's thirteen now and he loves to ride his bike.  It's his main mode of transportation, and since we live in a small town, everything is relatively in biking distance.  Plus, the added bonus is that I don't have to drive him all over the place.


So, foolish mother that I am, I trust him to make good decisions.  Little did I know exactly what goes on when he rides his bike.  I get this phone call with someone telling me that he rode his bike all the way down this long steep road with no helmet on - STANDING on his pedals, hands up in the air, like an airplane.  Like, not holding the handlebars even.  And he proceeds to make a real corner like that.  How does one even accomplish such a thing??


On the plus side, getting that kind of phone call proves to me that living in a small town has its perks.  On the not plus side, it also proves to me that my son has an imbalance.