My son convinced me to write this safety note. No, he is not well-versed in State helmet law, and no, he is not a consumer safety advocate. The reason he convinced me to write it is because last Sunday, he managed to ride his bike sans helmet with me standing right next to him.In other words, I, the writer of bicycle safety notes, and author of countless exhortations regarding the benefits of hand signals, extra lighting and traffic awareness, allowed my 2.5 year old son to ride his tricycle on the sidewalk without the most basic of safety equipment.It was a cool Sunday afternoon, on a weekend spent mostly indoors - a winter storm had passed through Seattle and for the first time in a few days, the clouds were lifting enough to take Caleb outside. Sensing the change, he asked me if we could "practice bicycle." Immediately, I agreed. As we walked out of the garage, I grabbed his helmet and said "put it on." He paused, looked at me and said matter-of-factly, "nah." I shrugged and he began pedaling down the sidewalk at his breakneck max speed of 1-2mph.It wasn't until later that evening, when I downloaded this picture, that I integrated what had just happened.I don't know of anyone who's ever argued that wearing a helmet while riding a bike is wrong. Nor illogical. Nor unwise. The only objections I have ever heard have been related to inconvenience or laziness. As in, "I was going to, but I forgot," or "Yeah, I know, I just...whatever, I will next time." In other words, Caleb's nonchalant "nah" was more than a passing objection. It actually encapsulated the biggest single reason riders don't wear the most crucial safety device available. Nah. Nah, I'm in a hurry. Nah, I'll get to it. Nah, it'll mess up my hair, (a rider without a helment was interviewed by GQ in NYC and was asked why he wasn't wearing one - his reply? "with this hair, are you kidding?").I won't bog you down with statistics, and I won't give a lecture on State and municipal law requiring you and your children to wear a helmet every time you get on a bike; though I could upon request. Likewise, I will not post horrific pictures of deceased bicycle accident victims who would likely be riding today if they had simply worn a helmet, (like Tour de France cyclist Fabio Casartelli, who died in 1995 of a head wound after a crash in which he wasn't wearing a helmet).I will simply ask that you fight the urge to say "nah" to wearing a helmet the next time you even think of getting on a bike. The benefits are obvious. It's simply a matter of making it essential, rather than convenient, for both yourself and your children.If you need motivation, just make it fun - Caleb highly recommends the new SpiderMan bicycle helmet, which he finds hi-larious. He can't wait to wear it this weekend. Now if I could just find a Prada helmet for my wife...