Nana, I Can Ride My Bike!

When you’re a kid, riding a bike is SO COOL!

We parents and grandparents all know that getting that first bike and then working with the training wheels for whatever period of time we can take it. We know that those training wheels have to come off eventually, but it is hard to judge just when they are exactly ready. For our kids, we used adjustable wheels which one could easily turn higher and higher so that eventually, without even realizing it, our kids were balancing anyway.

Are you ready for the falls, and the skinned knees? They are a part of Family Life, right?

Will falling make him or her lose the confidence they’ve built up while riding with the Training Wheels?

I guess every child progresses at the rate which is so individualized that you really can’t say ” He should be riding a bike at age 4 or 6.” Each child has to arrive at the stage where he sees his friends or brothers and sisters riding bikes and wants to be as accomplished as they are, as free as they are, and as independent as they are.

When you see your child soaring off on a bike, it is a test of his independence and self-reliance, and a test of your willingness to allow him to soar on his own and beyond your arm’s reach. It is his first taste of freedom, soaring away from your reach, but knowing that you are there if he needs you. .

Biking is a wonderful way of getting a lot of exercise, and the balance involved helps in a child’s co-ordination for many activities. It is a good cardio workout and with such an increase in childhood obesity, it is never too early to encourage regular exercise.

And the feeling of PRIDE is so encouraging for a child.

Just see how he glows as he shows you how he can ride with one hand!

Check out this video from Spring 2012.