Bicycling 101

Wanna see what somebody finally got the hankering to do on her own?

Here, it shows Daddy riding along with her.  So cute to see that 200 pound man riding on a 7-year-old's bicycle, encouraging her. I think what might have spurred her on to ride on her own was watching her cousins ride their bikes when she went on a trip to the park with them.

What happened after Daddy went inside with the boys and what you don't see in these pictures is Katherine riding the larger pink bike Daddy was riding earlier with Mommy running up and down the street holding onto the back of her seat,

encouraging her,

huffing and puffing,

helping her balance,

turning red-faced,

giving her advice,

cheering her on,

and finally demanding we MUST stop before I skin up my body by passing out from exhaustion.

My cautious girl got enough nerve to try it on her own and took off.

One of my parent's favorite stories they tell of me was when I learned how to ride a bike.  I just couldn't get the hang of it on the sugary sand down our driveway so they took me to the school playground where there was lots of hard surfaces to ride on.  Dad tells the story of me taking off immediately once we got there and he was so proud.  That was all I needed, a hard surface, and I had it!  But it became clear within seconds one important thing he forgot to teach me: How To Stop!  Yep, my dad forgot to teach me how to stop and like a moth to the flame, my green bicycle-steering skills lead me straight toward and into the school's dumpster.  I had a whole field to ride on, but somehow I honed in on the dumpster and crashed.  My ego was way more damaged than any body parts and true to form I was furious at the man who left out one Very. Important. Detail.

Well, I did NOT forget to teach Katherine how to stop.  I also made sure she was comfortable steering in tight spaces.

Bottom line is she got it!  Our girl is riding a bike now.  I'm pretty sure it was the same week she lost her first tooth also.  I can't hardly look through old blog posts for fear of bawling my eyes out because of how fast she's growing.

Good job, sister!