Thursday, June 21, 2007

so what do big boys do?






they ride bikes without training wheels, of course! nemo is officially a big boy in this category now, as yesterday was the big day. he had been talking about taking them off for awhile, and of course, pointing out the many bikes that didn't have trainers, but finally, both ian and i felt like he was ready. he had definitely backed off on the overuse of the brakes, and he was able to stand up while pedaling to get himself up a hill...also, going down a hill wasn't seeming very scary anymore.

so, we all agreed, and last night was a perfect night for it. 70 degrees, early evening, empty parking lot across the street...perfect. i was so impressed by how well he did. considering how cautious he was with the trainers initially, i expected this to take a lot longer. i worked with him at first, and he was very wobbly and nervous. he actually spent a lot of time talking while trying to ride, and i spent a lot of time reminding him to focus and keep his eyes in front of him...oh, and don't stop pedaling or you'll fall over!

but, we all know this is a dad's job to teach a kid to ride the two-wheeler, so ian gladly took over and nemo just kept improving! after about thirty minutes, ian was able to let go for longer and longer distances. we're still working on the starting, but today they went to the school playground (which has a very large asphalt surface) and practiced more...apparently he's excelling at the stopping part and catching his falls. i was so pleased with him mostly because of his attitude. he was truly delighted with the whole process and didn't get frustrated with the wobbliness and falling and having to have help...in fact, he'd smile and laugh when he fell, and then get right back up again. he may be on the cautious side, but he's willing to try. so proud.

5 comments:

Jonathan said...

Hey! Where is Nemo's helmet!!

John and Judy said...

Hey Nemo, cool bike. Grandpa got a new bike too. It's black and it has a motor. I think Grandma wishes it had training wheels.

michelle said...

ok, good question about the helmet...nemo does officially own a helmet, but he doesn't officially like to wear it. my justification is, "daredevil" is not his middle name. ian's justification is, he doesn't have to wear one just because everyone else does. and then there's, "how many helmets did you own as a kid?" personally, zero.

dad...i believe there's a law about helmets where you're concerned...would love to see pictures of your new bike, too! ian's jealous.

Melissa said...

I was thinking the same thing that Jon said. Seriously though, what great pictures! He really is a big boy, and it won't be long before he is popping wheelies with the rest of the boys.

Jonathan said...

Skype is a free Internet phone service. I have a webcam and so you can see the person you are talking to. Lauras parents gave me it for christmas and all of her family uses it to stay in touch. I would recommend it, its fun.