Last summer my youngest son Jackson got a bike for his birthday. Of course this bike did not come with training wheels so being the smart parents that we are we figured ok time to tell Owen (5 at the time) that it is time for him to learn how to ride a two wheeler. He was all about it, we took the wheels off and put them on Jackson's new bike. Owen, rip roaring ready to ride set out on his bike with no training wheels. It took less then 6 seconds for him to realize that he had made a big mistake in telling us he wanted to learn. Ryan and I worked with the kid for about 3 weeks before we gave in the towel. Not only was Owen frustrated but Ryan and I were as well. Owen had let the fear of falling get into his head and that was it.
Shortly after we took the training wheels off I started running and Cooper started ridding his bike next to me when I ran. We would leave Owen at home and I had hopped that he would see Cooper and I spending so much time together that he would in turn try harder or have some additional motivation to ride. We walked to school when everyone else rode, I made him a deal that we would ride to the ice cream shop once he learned... NOTHING worked. We left those training wheels off his bike for the last yr. hopping he would just hop on one day and ride away (not literally ride away, you know what I mean) but it never happened. He just had no interest or desire to learn. Fast forward to about 2 months ago, I force the child to get on his bike. I told him he had to practice for 10 min. He was so mad and fought me every pedal of the way. At the end of the 10 min the kid hatted me but he was able to sit on the seat push his feet along the street and then coast a little. I even got him to put his foot on the pedal and push a little... progress. For the next 2 months periodically we would go out and I would say practice for 10 min. He would complain the whole time "can't I just ride my scooter? I do not want to ride my bike" No additional progress was being made but it was obvious that he was not far from doing it, he just need to believe he could.
Last weekend I had had enough. It was Friday night and Ryan and I were planning a bonfire with the kids. I told Owen that we were going out on the trail and he and I were not going to come home until he learned how to ride his bike. We got out on the trail and he seemed nervous and embarrassed when other children zoomed past him on their bikes but once they all passed him and he was all alone... BOOM he got on that bike and rode away. Just like that I was running my ass off trying to keep up with him. I was so excited I was yelling after him "YOUR DOING IT, YOUR DOING IT" We were both excited and after ridding about a mile he turns and looks at me and says "mom you don't think I missed the smores do you" ahhahaha (no worries the kid did not miss smores in fact he ate two of them) The last 5 days in a row the child has asked me to take him on a bike ride. ahhaahha We have gotten out a couple times and he is doing so well that our last ride was 2 miles long. (and he was not happy we were ending it at just 2 miles) Not to shabby for a kid who learned how to ride his bike just days prior. I'd like to say I just created a bike ridding monster but truth of the matter is the kid did it all on his own on his own time and refused to learn until he was ready. That's my Owen! lol
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