Rite of Passage…

Learning to ride a bike without training wheels is one of those childhood milestones most of us remember.  I don’t remember when I started riding on two wheels, but I do remember watching my brother learn.  Strange memory I have.

Austin learned to ride a two wheel bike when he was 6 1/2 years old.  We tried the whole push him and let go thing, but all that did was freak him out that he was going to fall going full speed.  So we finally decided to just let him do it on his own.  And a few days later he did.

We have always said Brodie was going to learn sooner.  He has always had a better sense of balance than Austin.  In most things he is pretty willing to try most everything and worry about consequences later.  For some reason this hasn’t been the case when it comes to the bike.  For the last year he has barely touched his bicycle.  He rides the scooter everywhere.  I kept mentioning that we should take off the training wheels and give it a go, but he refused.  On things like this my parenting philosophy is just let them be and eventually they will be ready.

This week it was time.  Brodie asked Daddy to take off the training wheels, which Jason was more than happy to do.  Brodie will be 7 next month and I think he wanted to be able to say he was 6 when he learned.

Austin was glad to help as well.  Since Austin taught himself to ride we thought that Brodie could probably do the same.

He fiddled and adjusted his seat and everything just right.

Then he started pushing off and trying to peddle.

Determined to master it…he was off.

Austin watched on as Brodie kept going.

And going.

And going.

Within five minutes he was circling our cul-de-sac without stops. He was a natural. He then told me he wishes he would have let us take off the training wheels sooner.

I hate to say it….I TOLD YOU SO, BRODIE!