 Asadorian-Mejia/Splash News Online |
Wheeling home from school in NYC on Monday was a smiling Ava Eliot Jackman, 3 ½, with dad Hugh Jackman close behind!
The X-Men Origins star and his family — including son Oscar, 9, and wife Deborra-Lee Furness — are spending the spring residing in the Big Apple.
Ava rides a Mini-Kick Scooter ($75) — check out our review!
Oh no! She’s not wearing a helmet!! AHHHHHHHH!!!
LOL 
But I’m sure the comments will begin in 3…2…1…
- Lis on
sweet little ava
- aubrey mackenzie on
sweet little ava
- aubrey mackenzie on
sweet little ava
- aubrey mackenzie on
sweet little ava
- aubrey mackenzie on
sweet little ava
- aubrey mackenzie on
SO cute. Love this photo. It seems like this child and Michelle’s little Matilda are always happy and active in every photo. Maybe they are just happy kids, or their parents are really doing something right, or the paps have awesome timing.
- crimpe on
I.WANT.HER.BACKPACK. OMG… its adorable.
- Niki on
She’s a total cutie. I love the quirky, sweet clothes her parents pick for Ava.She looks like a fun little one.
- eva on
So cute!!! i love Hugh and his family, they seem so happy and so down to earth. Hugh and his wife seem so involve in their childrens life I LOVE IT!
- XOXO on
From her face to her clothes, backpack and the little bow in her hair… everything screams cute cute cute!!
- Alice on
Love her little backpack and she sure does love her Mico scooter: http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/2008/05/mini-micro-scooter.html
- UggaMugga.com on
Holy moly!!! I cant stop thinking about how lucky his wife is LOL!!
- Lauren on
oh my goodness!! she’s riding a scooter people, don’t freak about a helmet! seriously!
- hillary on
It’s amazing how much these two look alike!
- Jane on
Ava is adorable! Although I do have to say it was hard to take my eyes off her daddy long enough to comment, lol.
- CTBmom on
Lis and Hillary, obviously you have never had a child with a traumatic brain injury. Otherwise you wouldn’t be so blasé about her not wearing a helmet. I hope you will always be able to keep this opinion and not have to go through what we did.
That child should be wearing a helmet, plain and simple.
- Finnaryn on
people, just ignore those who insist Ava NEED to wear a a helmet while riding a scooter. no need to argue with them.
Ava is so cute. she should have a play date with matilda ledge. they both seem so care free
- sara on
I understand Ava is of mixed race, can someone tell me which race? She is a beautiful little girl.
- jaquie on
Yes, just ignore me. What do I know? I suppose I was just an idiot for crying over my daughter who nearly died after not wearing her helmet.
- Finnaryn on
She always looks so happy and they are always doing things,being active. Some celebs you only see carrying their child(ren) to stores etc. but this family is always having fun.
Love them!
PS No need for a helmet on a scooter. Finnaryn, I understand that was shocking, but what if your daughter had had head injury during a car crash, you would make her wear a helmet inside the car?
- Anna on
Hugh has said that Ava is German and Mexican. Finnaryn, I am so sorry. I doubt people meant you ill will. Of course children should wear helmets. Accidents happen all the time, no matter how vigilant we try to be as parents. I hope your daughter was able to recover, and that more people will think about helmets as a result of your posts.
- crimpe on
But Anna, do you put your children in a car seat? Do you make them use a seat belt when they are out of a booster seat? If you do, why do you? Is it because it is recommended after many years of research? Why wouldn’t you have your child wear a helmet when that is also supported by research?
Many people buy organic foods and products to keep toxins out of their kids lives. We buy expensive car seats and strollers. We even research which cars to buy that have the highest safety ratings. We baby proof, follow toy recalls and do many, many things to keep our kids safe. Yet many people also send their kids out without helmets.
It is personal to me because of my experience. But that is how we all view things. Some people give no thought to driving after a couple of drinks until they loose someone they love to a drunk driver. We forgo sun screen and spend hours laying in a tanning bed until we hear that someone we love has skin cancer.
I get that people think it is extreme that I think she should be wearing a helmet on a scooter and I admit that I got a bit excited over the whole subject. But I was once someone who didn’t think it was so necessary. I rolled my eyes when my daughter took off that day without her helmet and didn’t give it another thought. Never again.
And yes, perhaps because it is a scooter, and she isn’t going that fast, and her dad is right there, her chances of hitting her head are very low. But helmet wearing and kids is about habit. If she wears a helmet now, when it might not be as necessary, then she will be more likely to where one when she is 9 and her dad is not there. Or when she is 12 and trying to see how fast she can go on her bike. Or when she is 21 and riding alongside traffic.
So if I have to be the crazy lady who screams “where is her helmet?” then so be it. If I can convince just one parent to start putting a helmet on their kid and that kid is protected in a fall, then that is why I go all “crazy lady.” Because trust me, all I want to do is protect another parent from the heartache that we went through.
- Finnaryn on
Ava certainly is a beautiful little girl! 
- Jennifer on
I love this family! Ava is a doll.
- Laura on
Why no comment on the Matilda Ledger picture below asking for her to wear a helmet? She’s going the same speed (actually, faster) and is the same distance off the ground.
The fact is that risk is involved in just about everything in the world. Tragedies happen and it stinks when they do, but allowing freedom is part of raising happy, responsible adults who are capable of making their own (safe) decisions.
The argument that forcing her to wear a helmet longer into life will make her more likely to wear it on her own later is completely false. I was forced to wear a helmet biking until I was about 10. Know what all those extra years with a helmet did for me after that? Convinced me during my most danger-seeking years to never wear one.
Sorry about what happened to you, but that alone doesn’t make it a sound rational argument.
- Jaso on
What about when a child runs? Do they need to wear a helmet for that too? Running is probably faster than the speed she’s going at on that scooter and it’s the same height, basically.
I can understand and completely agree when going on a bicycle but on a scooter at normal walking speed? Heh.
She’s adorable and he’s gorgeous! 
- Lucy on
she’s cute and if her parents don’t want her to wear a helmet it’s their choice not ours.
- jessie on
TO Finnaryn
Thank you. You have said what I have always believed. Mothers and fathers spend SO MUCH TIME selecting the SAFEST of baby products, from BPA-free baby bottles to carseats to organic foods – yet they fail to protect them from this danger.
TO Lucy
When children are running at least their hands are free to break their fall. A young child on a scooter may not have fast enough reflexes or the maturity to let go of the scooter before they hit the CONCRETE SIDEWALK.
We have all at one time or another been HOLDING our child’s hand and they stumble and you’ve seen the damage that this split second fall can do to their knees. JUST IMAGINE what could happen if a child’s head fell against the sidewalk …or worse, against a building.
I was one foot away from my toddler when she fell off a chair and dislocated her arm.
SO CLOSE…yet I was not quick enough in that split-second. As hard as we try, WE CANNOT ALWAYS CATCH OUR CHILDREN BEFORE THEY FALL.
We all know this down deep…so why the fuss and resistance about the helmet?
- mamabear on
I love hugh…so handsome n such a great guy!!!
Ava is a little doll!
- L on
mamabear: I ask again, do you think children should wear a helmet when they run as well? If we go by your argument, it doesn’t seem unreasonable, as like you said, we can’t always be there to catch them.
- Lucy on
Ahhh, I love this family! Not only is Hugh a total hotty (yummy!), he is married to a pretty but average looking woman (not mean in any way, it gives me hope lol) and he has two beautiful adorable kids. He always looks so happy which I would be too!
- Elyse on
Oh this is silly! She’s on a scooter and Hugh is right behind her, she’ll be fine! You can’t keep children safe from everything!
- babyboopie on
i would make my child wear a helmet because it’s a scooter with wheels! wouldn’t you make your child wear a helmet skating? especially small children who are 2,3 yrs old who are not yet coordinated. My niece was on a scooter just like this one and knocked her head on the bar! ouch, she had a huge hemota. I learned my lesson!This is my opinion and every parent has a choice to do what they want! I sure wish Natasha Richardson wore a helmet it caused her death from a fall on a bunny slope!
- g!na on
Lucy – like it was said above, if they are running and fall, they can put their arms out to catch their fall. If they are holding onto the handlebars of a scooter, they may not be able to let go and put their arms out to catch their fall. It is the parents’ choice obviously, but I agree that a child needs a helmet for anything on wheels. Yes he’s right behind her and yes its just a scooter but something could happen in a blink and if it could be avoided, why not? Besides its a good habit to get into now. Its not like Fynnaryn or anyone else suggesting a helmet is saying anything rude or offensive so I am not sure why people are being so mean to them and telling people to ignore them, they are simply trying to suggest this and possibly save a child from harming themselves. I know I will think twice when putting my child on a scooter, bike, etc and make sure her helmet is on based on the comments and stories I read in this thread.
- Becky on
Gina, I read that a helmet would not have saved Natasha Richardson’s life. That’s just something that the helmet lovers want us to believe.
I stand by my opinion that a helmet is not needed in this situation. Of course something can happen, but something can happen when walking or sitting for that matter. You have to weigh the risks and decide for yourself and your family. I also don’t go for a lot of the other things that were mentioned.
- Anna on
Advertisement
PEOPLE.com reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Free Weekly Newsletter
"Now our kids are friends too and as they grow, it will be wonderful to watch them all and the different stages in their lives."
