Learning to Ride a Bike

My six-year-old learned to ride a bike today. ::sniffle:: Oh, those amazing milestones. Last year we took the training wheels off, thinking that he’d learn to ride over the summer. It was disastrous. He was terrified of falling and just couldn’t seem to keep his balance, no matter what we tried. In the end, we put the training wheels back on because he just wasn’t ready.

Last night, his dad bought a bike for Father’s Day. The two of them went out riding together, and afterwards, my husband took off the training wheels. Today, my son was eager to try out bike riding without the training wheels, so I dug out my old elbow and kneepads. We all remember the scraped elbows and knees from learning to ride, I’m sure. Anyway, Mr. Safety Boy was ready to rock. The toughest part was reminding him that once he started pedaling, he had to keep going. I think he was expecting to just coast. After some wobbly starts, I let go of his seat for about two seconds.

And then, something clicked. I’m not sure what it was, what universal forces were at work, but he got it. The next time I let go, he took off, pedaling for all he was worth. I’ll never forget that amazed smile on his face. And here I am, a maniac mom screaming, “You’ve got it! You’ve got it! Keep going!” The neighbors must have thought I was crazy. But it was a magical moment, like watching a baby walk for the first time.

I think I’ll go swagger to the grocery store now. Because my boy can ride a bike.