Fitton Center studio named
Sneak peek at 'Runway' finale
'Suor Angelica' rehearsal
Home > Blogs > Adventures in Motherhood > Archives > 2009 > July > 09 > Entry
Teaching kids overdue skill not as easy as riding a bike
I was on vacation last week and spent it at one of my favorite places: Home.
Although it can be great to get away, I sometimes like it even better when I can relax a little in the comfort of my own little abode.
It is the only place I know of where I can sleep in and read back issues of People amid tufts of dog hair, ketchup-stained children and half-drunk glasses of milk, and not pay so much attention to the numbers on the clock.
After a few days of that, I even had the energy to attack some of the long-overdue projects that have been weighing down many-a Post-it for months, and others for years.
One such project my husband and I tackled last week, one that fell in the “years” category, was teaching our kids how to ride bikes.
Somehow, summer after summer and without me really noticing, my sons managed to get to the relatively ripe old ages of 8 and 10 without acquiring this seemingly basic kid skill.
My husband and I readily shoulder the blame for this oversight, but I must say the kids’ lack of interest played a role as well.
Even though my sons have always had bikes at their disposal, complete with age-appropriate training wheels, they rarely wanted to ride.
There was always a soccer ball, a baseball bat, a lacrosse stick or some other remote piece of sporting equipment that caught their eye first.
Sometimes I would off-handedly remind them that they were going to have to learn to ride someday, but I always expected their desire to kick in on its own like it did for me.
But it never happened, and I think it has a lot to do with how different a kid’s world is compared to 30 years ago.
When I was a kid, bikes were the main event. They topped our Christmas lists and were rarely far from reach in the summer.
My brother and I would spend hours riding all over the neighborhood with our friends — going to the store, visiting friends’ houses, flying off self-constructed mud hills behind the nearby creek and teaching ourselves how to “pop a wheelie.”
But, it isn’t like that these days. There is just much more parental supervision involved with kids this age — I should know.
My husband and I often debate about whether there are more dangers now than there were when we were kids, or if there is just more information available. I have seen the statistics spun both ways.
However, as a result of these real or perceived fears, you just don’t see kids riding around their neighborhoods like you used to.
But my husband and I still wanted the kids to learn how to ride bikes, and set out to do that last week.
And, let me tell you, it was no fun — for the kids or the adults. When we told the kids of our plans, the older one groaned, “Do we have to?”
Fortunately, this was immediately followed by the younger one (my new favorite) saying: “I want to learn.” (Whether he wanted to contradict his brother or save him remains to be seen.)
We took them to a park and started on the softer baseball diamond and then moved to an open parking lot.
My husband and I kept yelling, “Keep pedaling! Stay balanced! Don’t forget your brakes!” as we ran behind their bikes with a guiding hand. The kids did their part by falling, crying, picking themselves up and trying again.
And we made it. After about eight hours, nine Band-aids, two bruised bottoms and innumerable tears , the kids can, although shakily, ride their bikes.
Whether they will want to do it again, however, is still in question.
But at least they have the skills to ride if they choose to. And my husband and I can, at least tentatively, cross that big one off the list.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Mother's Daze columns
Comments
By Bridget
July 9, 2009 6:31 PM | Link to this
My son learned how last summer at age 7. I was bound & determined to teach him, though he had little interest. It took 5 days before he got the hang of it. Mostly because he is a very impatient child. This learning experience ending up teaching him more than just how to ride. He learned that practice, patience, and positive thinking helps you reach your goal. And when he did finally get it, he loved his bike and rode every day. His little sister is riding now too at age 5. I actually rode a bike w/o training wheels at age 4 so I thought it was ridiculous that they were not out on their bikes as my friends and I were by their age. I completely agree that todays kids have a lot more options with video games, sports, etc. along with our fear of not letting them go too far from the house, but it is good exercise and once they learned they were very happy!By Greg
July 9, 2009 10:31 AM | Link to this
Whew … I was worried I was the only parent out there like this. My daughters (10 & 7) learned to ride without training wheels a few weeks ago. My oldest was hesitant and would never go fast enough to stay balanced so she quickly fell behind all her friends in learning. But my youngest had the determination to learn and took to it right away. I felt guilty not teaching them sooner. When I was my youngest daughters age I was zipping around the neighborhood, jumping ramps, riding with no hands, etc. I don’t let them ride too far, but they love the independence a bike gives them.