What we can learn from a 1983 movie

The holiday season is here! Radio stations are playing the classic songs, thousands turned out for the Electric Night Parade, stores are bustling with customers, and kids are creating their wish list for Santa.

Growing up, one of my favorite holiday movies was “A Christmas Story.” In case you haven’t seen this seasonal classic, allow me share a bit about the plot.

Released in 1983, the film is about the childhood of Ralphie Parker, a bespectacled 9-year-old boy growing up in a fictional Northwest Indiana town (but based on a city near where I was born and raised). The year is never mentioned, but it appears to be the early 1940s. Ralphie has his heart set on one fantastic gift for Christmas: a Red Ryder, Carbine Action, 200-shot Range Model air rifle. In spite of this one “must-have” gift, his mother, his teacher, and a very grumpy department store Santa share the same sentiment of Ralphie getting an air rifle: “You’ll shoot your eye out.”

The movie has memorable and teachable moments – appreciate your family, don’t leave your cooked turkey on the kitchen counter unattended, never lick a flagpole when it’s freezing outside, and as parents, we want our children to have it better than we did.

Just as Ralphie wanted that Red Ryder air rifle more than 80 years ago, many kids will be asking for e-scooters and e-bikes from Santa. If you’re thinking about buying a motorized vehicle as a gift this year, research laws and safety requirements. Many of these motorized items are powerful and fast enough to qualify as mopeds and motorcycles by law, which come with specific legal ages and requirements.

Boulder City Police officers often see children riding motorized devices at the same speed as vehicle traffic (30 mph and faster), not looking both ways as they cross streets, or not stopping at stop signs. Emergency personnel in Clark County estimate they are responding to four accidents a day involving bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters. We’ve seen a steady increase in the number of news stories throughout the valley reporting accidents. Earlier this year, the city embarked on an effort to educate residents, creating a webpage to provide information at bcnv.org/BikeSafety.

One goal among Boulder City leaders, police and paramedics is to keep residents safe. In September, an ordinance requiring all minors to wear a helmet on these devices went into effect. Still, it can be hard to tell the difference between what motorized devices require a license. There are potential criminal charges if minors are caught operating either a moped or a motorcycle. If a parent or guardian permits a child under 18 to operate a moped or motorcycle without a license, it is a violation of NRS 483.580. This misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or jail for up to six months.

Back to the movie storyline, Ralphie opens his gifts, but there is no Red Ryder air rifle under the tree. Just as Ralphie’s last glimmer of hope fades, his dad points out one last box hidden in the corner. It’s the rifle! Of course, Ralphie runs outside to fire his prized gift. He shoots at a metal target and the BB ricochets, hitting Ralphie’s glasses. If it weren’t for the specs, he would have put his eye out. (To make matters worse, he accidentally steps on and breaks the glasses while trying to find them.)

My top takeaways from the movie: safety gear (like Ralphie’s glasses) is important. If your children ask for gifts that they are not old enough to operate, ask them to wait until they are older. Listen to your mom -she knows best.

And don’t lick a flagpole in the winter.

Happy holidays, everyone!!