One morning last weekend, we were about to get in the car when Phillip said, "Grandma, I'm going to ride my bike before we go." This bike has been sitting in our garage since 2006 and he's never shown much interest in riding it with or without training wheels. He's even commented in the past, "I'm not going to ride my bike until I'm 16."
I didn't think much about it when
he pushed the bike out to the
driveway and got on it.
To my surprise, he
peddled down the driveway.
He kept going down the street to the
neighbor's driveway on the left
where he turned around without
getting off the bike.
Peddled back up the street to
our driveway with a look of
satisfaction on his sweet face.
His first words after being safely
back in our driveway were,
"I can't believe some kids don't
know how to ride a bike.
It's easy peasy."
He went from not being able to ride a bike to riding it like he'd been doing it for a long time, all in the blink of an eye. I was thrilled for him but there was a part of me that felt like he was riding right out of my life. I'm 100% in favor helmets, just ask my son and dil, but on this particular day, he took off quickly and I didn't want to call out to him for fear of distracting him and causing a fall.
I love this boy!
How lucky for you to be able to be such a big part of your grandson's life! And good for him knowing when he was ready to take off!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why that ended up anonymous,,,should have clicked on my name...
ReplyDeleteThat is very impressive. I actually did not learn how to ride a bike until I was 10. I blame it on the fact that my first bike was just way too big for me, but I have taken years of grief from everyone in the family about being bicyling challenged.
ReplyDeleteI'm very proud of your grandson.
That's so sweet. It just shows that if you let kids go at their own pace they'll master things more quickly in the end. I think for boys in particular there can be a lot of pressure to ride a bike early. Good for you just listening to what he felt comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteLove that you didn't call him back but glad that a helmet is usually a part of his riding gear. It is in the blink of an eye, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your bike riding history. I feel a lot less lame suddenly.
ReplyDeleteOh it's so lovely seen kids having fun and exploring themselfs. He looks adorable.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, I knew he'd eventually ride a bike but I wondered if it would be before he drove a car.
ReplyDeleteLindalou, I still haven't forgiven my dad for telling me he'd hold on to the bike and then letting go w/o telling me. I was nine. Haven't heard the word lame for a long time. Love it.
Linda, now the pressure's on me to get my bike out of the basement and ride with him.
ArtCricket2, don't you wish we could slow down time just a little? Our little boys are growing so fast.
Barefoot from Heaven, being around kids having fun encourages me to join in the fun.
Of course, this made me weepy. I already know what happens next in the story. They just get up and grow whether we want them to or not. But it's so fun to watch their pride in their accomplishments.
ReplyDelete(This is a different Sue.) There is an excellent example of not pushing, but waiting for readiness. This is my philosophy for toilet training and other accomplishments. Good for Phillip!
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