This summer I had 2 goals for my children (I know, making goals for your children is incredibly arrogant, but I made them anyway). I wanted Luke to learn to swim and Amanda to learn to ride her bike without training wheels.
Well, Luke is not doing so well in the swimming department, but Amanda has ditched the training wheels. I actually removed the training wheels from her bike a few months ago, but she has responded by not riding her bike.
For the past few weeks we've been visiting Grandma and Grandpa, where everyone rides bikes. I asked Michael to test Amanda and help her learn to ride without training wheels. He came back and said that Amanda was capable of riding without them, but she wanted them on. Apparently she was afraid of falling.
The problem is that training wheels really interfere with riding fast and without falling. We would ride down the long sidewalk near GM and GP's house, and she'd be stuck with Luke, while the big kids were riding fast and furious at the end of the trail. She was unsteady when the pavement was uneven. It wasn't really fun.
Finally I got her to try riding on the grass. It worked well for a while, but she soon discovered that it is easier on the pavement. We had many lessons on how to start off (she kept wanting to push down on the back pedal...), and she got it! She came in triumphantly to announce to Daddy (and anyone else who would listen) that she could ride without training wheels!
The next step was to ride down the new sidewalk without training wheels. I walked and she rode. At first, she got off the bike to go around every single bump or patch of sand---these were big problems with training wheels. When she started up again, the bike would zigzag across almost the whole sidewalk before she got steady. We had many philosophical discussions about how I couldn't promise her that she wouldn't fall off anymore, but that it was worth it to ride. She kept asking, "But what if I run into the bricks? Or the retaining wall?" My answer, "You dust yourself off and get back on the bike," was not immediately satisfying.
But by the time she reached the end of the sidewalk, she was getting more proficient. And when we got about a third of the way back, she started riding and didn't stop or fall down until she got to the busy street we had to cross. As she rode off and started getting smaller and smaller down the path, I reflected that this is what my life will look like from now on as the kids grow up and do things on their own---it's not a bad view.
Well, Luke is not doing so well in the swimming department, but Amanda has ditched the training wheels. I actually removed the training wheels from her bike a few months ago, but she has responded by not riding her bike.
For the past few weeks we've been visiting Grandma and Grandpa, where everyone rides bikes. I asked Michael to test Amanda and help her learn to ride without training wheels. He came back and said that Amanda was capable of riding without them, but she wanted them on. Apparently she was afraid of falling.
The problem is that training wheels really interfere with riding fast and without falling. We would ride down the long sidewalk near GM and GP's house, and she'd be stuck with Luke, while the big kids were riding fast and furious at the end of the trail. She was unsteady when the pavement was uneven. It wasn't really fun.
Finally I got her to try riding on the grass. It worked well for a while, but she soon discovered that it is easier on the pavement. We had many lessons on how to start off (she kept wanting to push down on the back pedal...), and she got it! She came in triumphantly to announce to Daddy (and anyone else who would listen) that she could ride without training wheels!
The next step was to ride down the new sidewalk without training wheels. I walked and she rode. At first, she got off the bike to go around every single bump or patch of sand---these were big problems with training wheels. When she started up again, the bike would zigzag across almost the whole sidewalk before she got steady. We had many philosophical discussions about how I couldn't promise her that she wouldn't fall off anymore, but that it was worth it to ride. She kept asking, "But what if I run into the bricks? Or the retaining wall?" My answer, "You dust yourself off and get back on the bike," was not immediately satisfying.
But by the time she reached the end of the sidewalk, she was getting more proficient. And when we got about a third of the way back, she started riding and didn't stop or fall down until she got to the busy street we had to cross. As she rode off and started getting smaller and smaller down the path, I reflected that this is what my life will look like from now on as the kids grow up and do things on their own---it's not a bad view.
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