Ride, boy, ride!

Well, the time has finally come...I've decided to teach my boy to ride his bike without training wheels. Being the sweet, sensitive soul that he is, he wasn't too thrilled about the idea at first. There are times when he is completely fearless, but this is not one of those times. My gorgeous wife was babysitting most of the day on Sunday, so I took that opportunity to take off those training wheels, lace up my running shoes, and get things underway.

Did I mention that Sunday is usually my "Doughnuts and Couch" Day? I didn't realize that this day's training would involve me running behind and alongside Monkey's bike for approximately six miles, which is in direct conflict with said "D and C" activities. Wow.

We started off going back and forth down our street...it's a dead-end, so there's not much traffic. At first, I tried to hold onto the back of his bicycle seat like my Dad did, but running up and down the block hunched over started to make me pray for death, so I tried grabbing a handful of Monkey's shirt instead...BINGO! That worked like a charm. I ran alongside his bike while he pedaled and tried to get his balance.

After a dozen or so trips up and down the street, we headed for the nearby Junior High, and all its sidewalks, parking lots, and practice fields. Things fell apart soon after, as we both got tired, and decided to call it a day. But there was definitely progress!

Tuesday afternoon, we geared up and went at it again. This time, we went straight to the practice field so that he could fall in the grass. It took us quite a few tries, but before too long, the boy was riding all by himself! Granted, his steering skills were non-existent, and the only way he knew how to stop was by flinging himself over the handlebars, but he was riding! I'll never forget that moment when I finally let go of his shirt, and saw him wobble, wobble...and keep on riding. He laughed then, from pure joy, and I did too. "You're doing it! You're riding all by yourself!!" I yelled encouragement while he rode. I'll treasure that memory forever.

And then he pitched over the handlebars to land in the grass. (Sigh) "OK, boy, let's get back on and do it again!"

He was a pretty good sport about it, and had a blast on that field. The sidewalk home was another matter, since he was thoroughly spent by then, but his fabulous mother had seen us as she had come home from babysitting, and walked out to meet us. We all walked home together, Monkey pushing his bike along, and we celebrated our little victories. We'll hit it again on Friday, when he's got a holiday from school.

I've really enjoyed this minor adventure, and it's not over yet. I know that before too long, he'll be riding that Spider-Man bike all over the place, popping wheelies, jumping curbs, and who knows what else? The biggest lesson I want him to learn is that it's OK to be afraid...as long as we don't let our fear keep us from doing things. Seems like he's learning.