Audrey Rides a Bike

I have dad guilt that Audrey got to be 6 years old without learning how to ride a bike. Last year when she was five I was very busy getting ready to move and then moving. This spring I've been very busy with the kitchen remodel.

Audrey's personality has had something to do with it, too. She sometimes can have a very hard time taking instruction. She wants to figure it out all on her own. But some things are too complicated to figure out that way.

We bought new bikes earlier this spring for both girls. Audrey tried hers a few times with the training wheels on but didn't like it. The training wheels were a distraction - she didn't like the jerk when the bike came to rest on a training wheel.

This past weekend we went camping on Cape Code for 4 days (I'll post photos and video as soon as I can, but that's probably going to be after I return from Seattle). I figured a campground would be a perfect place to learn to ride - paved roadways with very little, slow-moving traffic. I was kind of determined that she was going to learn to ride. A little too determined, it turned out, because we ended up getting into a little battle of wills. Audrey decided she wanted Mom to teach her to ride her bike. Only Mom could hold on just so.

So she did that with Mom a few times for maybe a total of about 20 minutes. Next session I took her out and promised to hold on just like Mom. I did so for about 30 seconds, but it was clear she had the knack. So I changed to just having my thumb on the back of the seat and she still did fine. So I removed my hand and just ran beside her. She didn't notice. After about 30 more seconds I told her, "Look, Audrey, I'm not holding on." She gave me a quizzical look and then it sunk in that she was riding on her own. There was no looking back after that. And all she wanted to do the rest of the trip was ride her bike. Ah, success!

Next we worked on getting started. She still has a little trouble getting things ready to go, but once she does she can get started every time. She was also afraid to go downhill at first, but I talked her through modulating the brakes to control her speed and by the time we left she was going downhill with confidence.

As a parent learning to read and learning to ride a bike are big milestones for me. Now that Audrey has achieved both of them I have to figure out what the next milestones will be. Maybe music. Carol taught Audrey Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the piano and Audrey loves to play it. She also makes up pretty decent music of her own.