Ban the Double Stroller

The double stroller...the bane of my existence. The hummer of prams....if you will.

The Swiss look at my monstrosity of infant transportation with absolute disgust...sometimes I get an occassional surprised look as if they've never seen anything like it...and they probably haven't.

Why? How? In this world of bigger, better, and more, has Europe missed the boat on the Double Stroller? I'll tell you why: Their kids, once able to walk, are expected to walk, not lounge like a prince or princess while mommy pushes 50 plus pounds in an uphill country.

Around these parts, the infants get the luxury of a ride, and older siblings walk next to the stroller, do not sit in it.

I realize the reasons behind the look of disgust I'm getting are many-fold. Part of it is that my stroller surely announces me loudly as American. I can't even get by as a Canadian when we're out with it. Another part, is that I realize my older child appears lazy as her Swiss three year old peers zoom around on their scooters, ride their trikes, or simply just hold mommy's hand as they use the two legs they were born with.

Could the double stroller be a factor in childhood obesity? Is it the first easy chair recliner of our child's life? Is all that is missing when we strap them in a portable dvd player and a remote?

As I finish this post, I hear the words of my long deceased grandmother. Whenever I asked to be carried or said I was too tired to walk, she would simply say: "Didn't God give you legs?"

"Yes." Sheepishly, knowing what was coming next.

"Then use them."