Learning to Ride A Bicycle

The previous two Sundays I woke up with my family all under the same roof; however; those days were spent in a hotel room and at a dear friend’s home. Today was the first Sunday in quite a long time that we were all under the same roof that has become our home. Sundays are special “family” days and my wife and I were in agreement when we stated that it would be a “no box” day concentrating on relaxing for the day.

My son made his appearance in our room a little later then usual but this morning he had something on his mind. Yesterday I promised him I would take him to the park where he could learn to ride his bike. I had to give my son a specific time which was 8:30 this morning and he didn’t forget. He came into the room notifying me we still had an hour and a half before we would venture to the park. To say he was excited to finally learn how to ride a bike would be an understatement.

Yesterday afternoon I did take him out front of the house and spent a few minutes giving him the basics of riding a bike. I took the training wheels off his bike and had him sit on it. I had him pedal with me providing the balance. He was very hesitant at first and kept looking back to see if I was still holding him. It took him awhile to understand that he needed to pedal in order to maintain balance but this was just a preliminary test run. The actual learning to ride the bicycle occurred this morning.

I could sense my son’s anxiousness so instead of waiting for the scheduled time I decided to depart for the park 30 minutes ahead of schedule. This decision made my son very happy and we took his bike to the park. The park is within walking distance and we made the very brief walk as I gave him some instructions. The key principles were pedaling, steering and braking along with always paying attention. My son get distracted very easily and I had to impress this last principle because I could see paying full attention would be quite an undertaking.

This was the same spot I took my daughter to over four years to teach her how to read a bike. It truly was déjà vu all over again. I decided back then that the appropriate place to learn how to ride a bicycle was in the park’s parking lot and I was hoping the parking lot would be deserted at this early hour. Much to my surprise there were two cars in the lot but the cars posed no obstructions.

My son got on the bicycle and started pedaling with me holding from the rear. I was a bit reluctant to let go sensing my son’s unsteadiness so it took a few minutes before I finally let him go. Also my son was very concerned with me not letting go so I needed him to get some confidence. He rode around the parking lot with me holding and as my son was saying “Daddy don’t let go”, I had already let go and he was riding the bicycle all by himself. When he discovered that he was indeed riding the bicycle by himself he let out a big smile and went a few more feet before stopping. I gave him a “you are doing it” and his pride swelled.

After this moment it took a little while to work up my son’s confidence even more. He had trouble starting and I had to give him a push but when our dear friend’s made an impromptu visit at the park he sort of “showed off” what he had learned. He was quite capable of starting by himself and his confidence soared. As my son was riding his bicycle on his own he said to me, “Daddy you are the best teacher ever!!” This is one of those moments I have been waiting for and made my heart so warm. I had been away from him and the rest of my family for the past two years but we are certainly making the most of our time together and I am forever grateful.

It took some coaxing but my son was able to ride around the park on his own and I couldn’t help but to make comparisons between when my daughter learned to ride her bike and now. The process was much the same but with my daughter who seems to exhibit “NO FEAR” once she was able to ride on her own she just took off. My son exhibited some fear and I had to convince him to continue riding.

My children are remarkable and they share similarities along with differences. The differences were exhibited in these moments of learning to ride a bicycle. As I mentioned my daughter is fearless where my son is more cautious this is interesting because my son is more outgoing than my daughter. My son will approach just about anyone where my daughter is much more reserved; however; when it comes to thrill seeking my daughter is the daredevil. I can remember her zipping around the park very shortly after she discovered she could ride her bicycle all by herself. Today my son wasn’t exactly zipping around the park but his cautiousness seemed to diminish the more he rode the bicycle.

It was fascinating watching my son as he was reluctant but the confidence soared as soon as he realized he could ride the bicycle all by himself. The adage of how we all need to learn to crawl before we walk and than run was relevant this morning. Before we started my son was apprehensive about his bicycle but when we were making our way home he was an expert bicycle rider.

Later on my daughter and son went on a bike ride to the park with me following on foot. We decided (more accurately I decided) to go for a more in-depth bike ride to a nearby lake. I don’t have a bicycle and I thought this would be a good time to get in a little jog. My children set out on their bicycles while I did my best to keep up with them by jogging. Thankfully I have been training because I needed it today as we logged about 5 miles in the 95 degree sun.

The comical event happened as I was jogging in between my daughter and son. My son was gaining on me and all I remember is my son saying, “Daddy look out!” As soon as he said this I could feel something hit my lower leg and I went tumbling down to the ground. My son some how got too close to me and his wheel trip me up which made me fall to the ground. When I hit the ground which seemed to happen in slow-motion I quickly jumped back up and started to jog. It did hurt but I didn’t my children to know so I thought the best way was to start jogging again. My daughter was very concerned and my son kept saying, “Daddy I’m sorry”. I told him it was an accident I was okay. I was okay and thankfully my son didn’t fall to the ground in the collision.

We made our way home after another lap around the lake and it was a great day along with getting in a great workout. The children were sweating from the bicycle ride and I too was perspiring quite profusely. I don’t need a gym membership or a bicycle, I can get my runs with my children as long as I stay clear of their tires!!!