Tongue in cheek but a term I heard the other day:
It is actually a recommended practice in a programming language Python!
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Dad of 5 and 6 year old with a business with 60 staff. My wife is a runner and works full time as Health Professional… we basically sort out of diaries on Sunday night to work out which sessions we can do so we get the same number and don’t miss out on kids time… where a conflict exists (ie due to travel etc)… kids take priority over sessions. On average get 4 rides a week (3 outdoor and 1 indoor)… my wife gets the same number of runs…Would prefer more but think it works well… the thing I like is that if you miss your session then it is gone…I don’t miss
Many sessions ! Works well for us as a family.
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Dad of 3 kids (4.5, almost 3, and 17 months) here. I’m still learning how to balance everything, but in the end, time missed with the kids when they’re young is time you don’t get back, like what many here have already said. My wife is starting to get into biking, but maybe only a couple hours a week. We ride together for fun and to commute, but she doesn’t train on the bike. I get in maybe 10-15 hours a week, but again, it’s all about communication, being truly present when I’m actually with the kids (no phone scrolling or tv on), and being flexible.
The priorities are family > work > bike, but sometimes I get them out of order.
My big bike purchase last year was a big bike - a 10 foot long front loading cargo bike (bakfiets). It’s a total game changer. I kind of went all out and got nice components. Also got a power meter so I can gauge my efforts no matter how slow I’m going with a load. I can fit all three kids up front and end up doing most of my structured training with the kids. I’ll normally go for an hour or two around their nap time. With this rig, my wife wants me to go out and ride! 
Weekends are a balance between epic cargo bike rides on the trail (did a 60 miler with my 17 month old a couple weeks ago) and getting off the trail and out into the boonies on my road bike.
Even though we live in a fairly bike-unfriendly part of the US (southern Louisiana), we live right off a bike trail that connects us to our church, grocery stores, playgrounds, etc., so we use this bike for general commuting and errand running when possible.
I haven’t really raced since 2019, like most people. Even then, I didn’t do many races. But I would do some. We would come up with a race and vacation calendar at the beginning of the year (which evolved as the year progressed). Early morning rides are a staple for me, but if I miss it I can take the kids out in the afternoon.
I like the ideas mentioned above about combining big rides with the family by meeting them at the vacation destination.
Really awesome thread!
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True…
But sometime you buy a 5k bike and ask for forgiveness and you don’t get it…
There in lies the beauty of it though 
That’s a really good way to work it out!
Recently, a lot of my friends have started having kids, and that, along with this thread has confirmed i don’t want any. However, I respect it can be very satisfying for some. It also makes me realise i don’t have much balance anyway, and maybe its something i should work on. Not specific to cycling, but i tend to be all in, or all out.
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It’s a good thing when people are honest and realistic about whether they really want kids.
It’s really bad when people have kids for the wrong reason (they think it will fix their relationship, their grandparents want grandkids, etc.) and then the kid/s get hurt when it doesn’t work out.
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I have two boys, one 4yo and a 5month old. The second child really made this hard. With my first it was always easy to have one of us watch him while the other had “me” time. Now with the second, and of course him being very young, that’s made it that much harder. I currently get 3.5-4.5 hrs a week on my bike… I do the low volume plan. I usually ride once a weekend for 1.5-2.5 hrs depending on what’s going on. More than that gets tough. The 4yr old recently started with sports to… so less me time. As someone elluded to, if you are having kids, prioritization is absolutely critical. You will not have the time you had before to do all the things you did before kids. Certain things have to fall off the list. If you go into it knowing what falls off and making sure you and your sig other are in agreement, that will help.
Sincerely a tired Dad that isn’t sure what he wrote was coherent 
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Sounds funny and cool, but rarely goes over well, especially if it becomes a habit. Finances are shared and so are your priorities. I find that my wife sometimes saves me from financial recklessness — so I welcome her saying no. Because if she says yes, I know she is truly on board.
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Everything that I read says kids shouldn’t be on the bike until they are a year old because they can’t support their heads properly until that age.
That said, if you are doing a cargo bike and the kids is in their normal car seat, installed securely and correctly and rear facing, and you are just riding smooth stuff, it’s a different story. I am not a doctor and you should talk to a pediatrician.
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I learned this the hard way…
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Two older kids, time for gets better over time. I trained during commute when boys were younger, especially in the morning.
Sometimes I jumped on bike right from lunch to do my endurance weekend ride for 2-3 hours (everybody at home was looking to take some rest after lunch so it worked pretty well to let them asleep 
).
Now I balance the time using indoor trainer especially between November - March/April - I can do my workouts any time of day including evenings without much preparation, no risk of injury in dark etc. and still being available if necessary.
Worth to mention that I have very tolerant wife which has a lot of understanding for my obsession .
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2 children here, ages 1.5 and 3.
This thing has been amazing for them actually enjoying riding bikes. We installed these on my and my wife’s bikes. The kiddos hold onto your handle bars and I added some foam grips to the middle of my cockpit so they feel like they are doing more and get comfortable. They can stand up on their “pedals” so rides last longer, and there is no risk to frame damage with this setup. I wouldn’t recommend it for training purposes. My knees have to bow out to accommodate them, but it is a great way to get out more and introduce little ones to the sport. It also keeps them awake so you don’t have to worry about neck issues, bouncing around in the trailer.
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I never put our kid in a carrier because I didn’t think they were safe enough. Basically, I’d never ride one on the street and we never had access to an easy bike trail.
I know these are marketing pictures but is this safe?
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All depends on your skill level I suppose…
Seriously though, I personally am very slow and easy on this. It’s amazing how big each bump feels with your kid on the front. There is certainly a level of risk that comes with this but it is mitigated by parental fear and reasonable decision making. Helmets and a rear brake bias are both required.
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Thanks again for the thoughtful responses! Una Patsie entered the world on Thursday. We are over the moon, and her mother is a fierce warrior. I decided to defer my A race to 2022 and race my B race as my A race, which is next weekend. How much fitness can I lose in two weeks? We shall see, but this way I can stay focused on what is most important. Any riding I get in this season will be bonus.
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Very sensible choice. Congratulation to you and you whole family.
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