I’ve always enjoyed reading what other people think is wrong with my parenting, or why things are the way they are. For example, Jax being able to ride a bike without training wheels. There’s a million and one suggestions about how best help, or why you should push you child if they aren’t ready. Excuses… comments like:
Their bike is too big
They can’t brake properly
Their bike is too small
They don’t know how to ride a bike
Their bike is too heavy
They’ve forgotten how to ride a bike
They’re scared of getting hurt
You’re asking them to do too much
Perhaps they’re just not ready to ride a bike
He’s Seven and a half and hasn’t ridden a bike with out training wheels yet. The thing is, it’s not because of those very scientific researched based suggestions above… it’s literally because he didn’t give a shit until this weekend and honestly I didn’t press him.
I didn’t press him… not because I’m all about “my kid will ride his bike when he is ready”… Blah blah blah… but because it’s 2021 and I have no time for anything let alone fifteen seconds to try to teach him to ride a bike. I’m not pressing. We play baseball and basketball all the time he lives in the pool all summer. He’s having fun outdoors. So do I feel guilty that he didn’t ride a bike yet…yes… do I stress… no. If he’s not pressing…
Then this weekend he asked. He wanted to give it a try. We loaded the trunk up with bikes and water bottles and a few baseball batting helmets (yup, you read that right).
If he’s ready to ride… I’m all in. So, we hit the grass field with a feeling of half freedom and half fear! Jax rode a few feet at a time with dad (me, obviously, just wanted to take some credit here) holding on tight. It didn’t take long however, for the balance and speed of the Family Hurdle Gene to take over…
…and with that I present the next TOUR de FRANCE WINNER:
Sorry Son: Chronicles of a New Dad 