NOTE: This is from an old blog of mine. I am presenting them as is, no updates or changes. This one is from March 2014.

Parents: Your kids learn what you teach them, whether you verbalize it or not.

Case in point: I ride during the winter while I can. This tends to lead to a filthy motorcycle that I can’t always wash when it’s ball-shriveling cold. So late yesterday morning, while it was low 40s, I got geared up and rode my Harley to the car wash.

The place was packed with lines of vehicles at every stall, full vacuum spots, and a few trucks off to the side wiping off the excess water after their washing. The place was also packed with Girl Scouts selling Girl Scout cookies. I chose a line and dropped my kickstand to wait for my turn.

They had a mother and few girls at the road holding a sign advertising cookies. They also had a table down by the car wash building. They had stacks of cookies on their table and the girls seemed to be having a good time.

One of the mothers would take one of the girls and go to every vehicle and the girl would ask if they wanted to buy any cookies. This happened to every vehicle that was there when I got there and every vehicle that came in after I arrived. They didn’t miss an opportunity to sell some cookies.

Except for me. They didn’t come anywhere near me.

They went to vehicles on either side of me, and to the SUV behind me, but just didn’t quite make it to me.

Perhaps they thought I couldn’t carry cookies home? Doubtful. I have a touring bike with two hard bags and a tour pak. I have plenty of storage.

Perhaps they thought I couldn’t afford cookies? Doubtful. Also irrelevant.

I know I could have just gone up to the table and bought cookies had I wanted them. I normally get a kick out of people who can’t conceal the look of shock on their face when the guy dressed like a biker holds the door open for them or says “please” and “thank you” or donates to their cause. But I do all those things because it’s either something I want to do or it’s the polite thing to do. I don’t do it to see their reaction, but it’s a nice little bonus. In this case, I didn’t actually want any cookies so I didn’t go out of my way to get them.

As I was watching this happen, watching them go to everyone but me, I was guessing that the problem was the gear and reputation that surrounds a lot of people who choose to ride. I had on a my black beanie, black shades, black leather jacket, black leather chaps, and black biker boots. All of which were necessary items. While lower 40s is warm enough to ride, you still need to bundle up and block the wind, but you still look like you just wandered in from the set of The Road Warrior.

As far as the reputation issue goes, I put that on the head of the mother. Kids don’t have those thoughts in their head. Most kids love motorcycles and want to get a closer look. But if the mother kept this girl from getting near me because of the way I was dressed or because she thinks everyone wearing leather on two wheels is a member of the 1%, then that’s a bad thing. She’s teaching this child to avoid one person in a parking lot of dozens because of how they look or because of some predetermined mindset. She may not have said a word, she may have just gently grabbed the girl’s arm and steered her away, but I’m sure it left an impression, possibly not even a conscience one, on the girl carrying the cookies.

I’d like to think I was wrong about this. I’d like to think they just accidentally skipped over me several times, but they sold enough cookies to the vehicles surrounding me, and to everyone else in the lot, that I find it incredibly unlikely.

I don’t have the privilege of being a parent, but I am friends with many people who have children who don’t have a problem with me or my bike. The parents know the biker I am is also the same guy who works in a corporate environment, spoils his pets rotten, does volunteer work, and helps people when they need it. The kids just know there is a cool bike they want to sit on. They don’t know anything negative because their parents don’t consider being a biker a negative.

And it’s NOT a negative. But some people will never see that.