Uk and europe are trying to tell me that I can't take my kids on the back of my bike because they maybe too small.
all because a small boy was unfortunatley killed as a passenger on a bike that his parents did not know he was riding on. Surely (I know don't call you surely!!)its up to me to decide if my kids are capable of staying on or not.

Yes I agree with you. In fact , the more I go around the rally's and bike events the more I think I see the change in biking. When I was a kid you were always going places with someone on your machine. You hardly ever saw a old dude (sorry..lol... this includes me now!)with a machine never mind kids on the back of it.
When I go the rally's nowadays It's all guys and gals my own age and older.
Is it because I am geting older and noticing things more, or has biking culture changed???

My daughter started to ride with me when she was five... right up to now as a matter of fact...when she comes home for a visit. We used to do some long distance rides..and for those I used to belt her right to me. She would close her eyes and go to sleep with her head leaning on my back as a pillow. We had fashioned a type of harness for her... no way to fall off. As the years passed, the harness fell to the wayside and she rode with me all night...and all day. We used to take roadtrips all over the states togather... it was a good way for us to stay close...even when she was a teen and didnt want that kind of closeness with Mom. She used to complain at the outset of one of our trips, but by the time we had a full days ride under us... she was having fun and forgot all about going to the beach with her friends. Those were the good ole days... and folks... there are leaving us fast.
Chessie