After – ooh – about three years of trying, Lucien today rode his bike without stabilizers/parent hanging on the back. Properly. This is the bike he did it on, which was given to him by his lovely godmother Laura. And I have been pretty rubbish about remembering to get him going on it. Frankly the hanging onto the saddle and running alongside a nervous child on a bike gig is not my idea of enjoyable physical exercise. Anyway today we reached the goal.
He rode it several times for about four minutes at a time, too, before falling off/crashing into a bush. It’s a rite of passage, a milestone, all those things. Learning how to ride a bike. He’s really proud, too – he’s old enough to know how vital a skill it is. Although what really spurred him on was not my exhortations or praise, but the fact that the 4-year old next door could do it. Discuss.
25 April 2012 by Jenny
Is cycling a vital skill? I’ve never really understood why. It’s nice, but is it so crucial it hast to be taught young? It’s not like swimming, where there is a survival element. I’m trying to imagine a scenario where riding a bike could save a life but it’s getting pretty intricate and involves an evil Lance Armstrong.
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