8.18.13 ~ Two Wheels

Liam never ceases to amaze. He's had a balance bike since he turned three and has since mastered that thing completely. So yesterday we set out to buy him a new bike with real pedals and no training wheels - an early birthday gift from his grandparents. Liam picked out the most expensive 16 inch bike in the shop. But we noticed he had the easiest time pedaling and maneuvering on it so we went along with it. However, we did tell him that the model he wanted did NOT come with training wheels. The guy at the store took them off for us, told Liam they didn't come with the bike, and hid them in a bag for us to secretly take home. When Liam was out of earshot, he told me we were the first parents he had ever met who wanted to completely forgo training wheels. I explained that Liam knew how to balance on the balance bike and that I believed he would learn to ride without training wheels within a week. So we took the new bike home, took it out to the sidewalk between the buildings in our complex, and then Liam learned to ride that new bike within about 10 minutes. The first time he got on, I gave him a little push and he started peddling. I let go and he balanced on his own with no problem. Then he realized he was doing it and looked at me and said "Did you let go? Am I doing it?" Then he swerved off the sidewalk. I told him not to look at me and keep his eyes on the road. Then he tried it again and got it and was completely fine balancing and pedaling without me holding his bike. Then Jason joined us outside and he worked with Liam on starting and stopping which Liam pretty much could do by the end of yesterday. This morning we took him to a park and he practiced gently braking to slow down during a down hill and steering and balancing around tight turns. He's learning so quickly and he's so happy and enthusiastic about it. Not even five years old and cruising on two wheels. Proud mother here.