Saturday, October 6, 2007

Learning to ride a bike

With the recent acquisition of two bicycles, the kids have been learning how to ride a bike. 'Shroom has witnessed Lolli fall a couple of times (both times ending in tears with the latest incident drawing blood and leaving a little skin on the driveway).

"See, that's why I don't want to ride a bike," 'Shroom explains to me when I try to coax him on his bike.

"It's okay to fall," I try to reason. "You just get back on."

Mind you, they're not learning how to ride a two-wheeler bike. They're learning how to pedal forward and steer clear of inanimate stationary objects (like bushes and light poles). Lolli can do it provided the riding surface is flat and the wind is at her back pushing her along. 'Shroom can do it provided I'm pushing the bike and steering for him (talk about a free ride).

Well, I guess I can't blame them for taking awhile. Although I do ride a bike (yes, I've graduated from the training wheels!), my sisters and I all have had bad bicycle accidents (older sister smacked into a telephone pole after losing control going down a steep hill (bloody chin); younger sister did a face plant on a rock and chipped her front tooth; I got my finger stuck in the spokes of my wheel while it was moving and broke it). Yes, we all sound rather clumsy but they were legit accidents. Really.

Anyway, Lolli has been crying off and on today because of her scraped knee. Hopefully she'll heal quickly and not let it impede her bicycle learning.

Wow - as a young kid, there's so much to learn! At least once they learn to ride, they won't forget, right?

2 comments:

hopeng said...

They say you can't forget but ever since I ate that rock, I swore I would never get on a bike again (unless it is a stationary one!). I've already had 3 dentists work on that 1 tooth!

I see parents with tandem bikes or with trailers with their kids in it and keep thinking that unless I am on a suicide mission for myself and my kids, that would never be me!

Hopefully Travis and Nicole will fare much better than us!

Any by the way, when I was learning, I rode into a bush and you and your friend (J. Klein), just pointed at me, laughed and ran home. No help getting the bike out of the bush. I was so traumatized, it was the topic of one of my high school essays... "the day my bike met a bush".

Unknown said...

Yay Dee, you're a good Mom! Our twins are professional trycicle riders (with their knees reaching to their faces) and they are counting down the months to their 5th B-day, where they will get their first bikes, too. The big pack of bandaids will be ready! This said, our daughter is wondering what color her helmet will be... how can I answer SUCH an important question ?