CoffeeSwirls

Intro to Bike Riding 101

You gotta chase the rewards in life, you know that? If that weren't the case, we wouldn't do anything. A marathon runner looks to the end of the race and the rush of adreneline as their inspiration, not to the pains in their limbs. A mountain climber looks to the summit they seek to conquer with desire, not the tenuous handholds or the thinner air at higher altitudes.

Ben has decided that it's time he learned to ride a bicycle, and the way he's going so far isn't exactly a safe course to travel. That's part of the reason I'm so proud of him right now. He has taken a few tumbles, but the reward of being able to ride his bike with his cousin and with me planted the seed of desire that picks him up and sets him back on the bicycle.

We live on a busy street, so the thought of a kid without good control over his bike riding in the yard and on the sidewalk isn't very comforting. The back yard has several trees, making it tricky for "intro to bike riding 101" classes. Plus, there's a decent chance he'd end up face-down in a small pile of dog-poo or one of the ant hills. Not a good proposition back there.

Another thing, Ben's bike is too small for him. It's a good size for most kids his age and he can learn on it, but he's taller than any 6-year old I've ever seen. The bike will need to be replaced. Usually, something that big would have to wait for his birthday, but since that's in the middle of August, that wouldn't do. He'd get to ride for a couple weeks, then he'd be back in school. That's not fair to him.

My birthday is coming up in less than a month, though. So I made a deal with him. If he can learn to ride his bike within the next two weeks, I'll ask for a Ben-sized bike for my birthday. When he heard that, his eyes lit up and he had a renewed desire to learn to ride that bike.

So up and down the sidewalk we went, moving frequently for joggers (who gave his haircut second glances) and other bicyclists. He would announce to anyone who would listen how his progress was going, and some of the people were very nice about it. A few ladies even cheered him when I let go of his bicycle seat and he went about 15 feet before stopping. He has the best grins, I'll tell you!

Truthfully, he's getting a new bike either way. It was neat to make his day in this way, though. This year for my birthday, I'm giving myself the joy of putting together a bike for Ben to ride around town with me.