I wrote this post earlier this spring, before our move, and just came upon it again.
…
My family likes to ride their bikes. Well, make that the adults. And the younger kids like to be toted along on bikes in seats or a trailer. And my 5 year old likes to ride his bike with training wheels.
But not my 7 year old. He has steadfastly refused to even get on the shiny new bike with training wheels he got for his 5th birthday (his request!) He has scootered along with us, but absolutely would not get on the bike after his initial time (maybe two rides?) We’ve offered, but not pushed the issue because it hasn’t been so important in the grand scheme of things. He hadn’t touched a bike in almost three years!
Until one day this past spring. My 5 year old decided he was old enough to stop the training wheels, and we got out the running bike for him to practice on.
Out of the blue, ds7 asked to try the bike without training wheels, and he took off down the sidewalk with barely a wobble! He rode the bike for a long family walk/ride with no problems, and couldn’t wait to get back on the road (OK, sidewalk) again the next day.
This just reinforced to me the importance of letting kids come to things on their own when you can. Of course, some things need to be pushed, but not as many as you might think. Whatever the reason was, he wasn’t ready to ride a bike until now. And then he was, so he did. He did it in his own time.
Kids are amazing!
I’m posting this story as much for a reminder for me as I am for you–sometimes I need help to remember this. Usually when no one seems to want to do something I think they should, or when one of my little ones is struggling with something…every kid is different and has their own timeline. And many times, it’s OK to wait on them!
