When your kid wants to bike to school/other drop-off activity...

[ProtoLawyer]

(and assuming your child is too young/otherwise unable to just bike himself/herself there and back)...

How do you handle your return trip?

Edit: I ask this because a friend of mine, single mom, has become a martyr to the cycling cause--it's about 1.5 miles, each way, and her daughter is in third grade. She does not feel safe letting her child ride by herself (I am not sure if the school allows it), and thinks her child will be too tied to ride home in the afternoon...so, every morning the weather cooperates, she walks along side her cycling daughter, then drags her daughter's bicycle back home with her. She picks up her daughter by car in the afternoon.

She wishes she could bike too, or at least walk herself back alone. I suggested either hitching a trailer to her own bike so she can tow her daughter's with her, or locking it up at school so her daughter can ride it home (or, if the weather gets bad, the bike can fit in the trunk of her car). She thinks both of those suggestions are absurd, so I'm not sure what else there is to do.

Anyone else have a suggestion?

[Geofizz]

A third grader can get used to 1.5 miles home even if tired from the day. Bring a small snack to eat before saddling up on the way home if necessary.

[ecoteat]

Both ride to school. Kid locks up bike there (is there a bike rack?) and mom rides home. In afternoon, mom drives if kid would be too tired and puts kid's bike in car. Or mom rides bike to school and they both ride home.

[CarrieMF]

If there is a bike rack she can lock it at school. If her dd really is too tired to bike home the mom can walk the bike back then since she's doing it in the morning anyhow.

Chances are very low that her dd would be too tired to ride it home though. Once the mom saw her dd could do it, they could both ride to/from school.

[4evermom]

Lock it at school and pick it up in the afternoon with the child if mom doesn't want to bike both ways.

Bikes that get stolen are either not locked or they are nice adult bikes. People who would take a bike are not likely to put forth the effort of cutting the bike lock for a little kids bike, especially if it's girly.

[LynnS6]

Lock it up, ride it home.

Our ds could easily ride a bike 1.5 miles home, no matter how tired he is. Bring a snack, as someone else suggested. I think the mom is underestimating her daughter.

But the reality is, if you've suggested these things and she thinks they're absurd, I'd leave her to dragging the bike home.

[mommajb]

The bike stays with the child.

ETA: Unless the child is afraid to ride alone I don't see how having the mom along reduces the fatigue.