February 5, 2013
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training wheels
@vexations posted a bicycle story this morning that inspired me to take a trip down memory lane.
Training wheels are standard equipment on kids’ bikes. My younger daughter, LLO, a little stubborn shall we say, wasn’t all that excited to ride a bike to begin with and wouldn’t try without the bonus wheels. I watched her as she rode. Saw how dependence on the training wheels trained her to lean to the left. Saw how turns were taken at weird angles. It was probably one of those turns that caused the training wheels to break off. She needed a bigger bike anyhow. She was somewhere around 10 (I did mention that she was stubborn?) and getting too tall for the little bike. It was certainly in her mind and our ears that she wanted a new bike with training wheels. If we’d been inclined to put training wheels on her new bike, which we weren’t, the bigger sizes didn’t have them anyhow. So the new bike sat in the garage for at least an entire summer. Then a neighbor girl rode her bike to our house to play with my girl. Within a week, LLO had figured out exactly how to ride the bike.
A little reminiscing. I found this in my computer. It makes me smile. LLO (who you will discover is actually named Katie) in all her cuteness of several years ago, riding a bike and picking a wedgie. The redhead is the neighbor up the street who inspired the learning. The incredibly loud voice at the end (I warned you!) is Spawn, who was manning the camera.
In other wheels news. Spawn turned 16 a few weeks ago. No progress whatsoever on the driver’s permit. But she did express an interest in contact lenses which I have tied in with driving. So I’m certain that I will never hear mention of contact lenses again. It’s all good.
Comments (13)
Life with teenagers is always interesting.
Your LLO reminds me a lot of me. Again. At least in the stubbornness department. I think I learned to ride without training wheels fairly early. Much like reading I don’t remember the learning process. Maybe spawn will be like me, who was in my 20s when I learned to drive, or my almost-40 sister who still hasn’t.
that was great
Sweetness
That bike ride video is super duper! Thanks for the tag.
How can she not want to drive? That’s a rite of passage!
@ata_grandma - :) sure is.
@leaflesstree - they are both stubborn. i have no idea where they got that.
@godfatherofgreenbay - thanks.
@armnatmom - i’m glad you liked it too. makes me smile.
@vexations - isn’t she hilarious? thanks for the trip down memory lane.
@Thatslifekid - it’s the permit test. i’ll sit her down one day and make that happen. when i feel like it.
I never could get the hand of training wheels. T’was the fear of falling on my head that learnt me to ride.
hahaha! tied in with driving. you are as twisted as me.
cute video! it’s fun to find stuff like that. I mean, that’s what it’s for, right?
you are also obviously thinking about inviting a redhead that drives for a playdate.
@distractedbyzombies - what a great idea. and when LLO is old enough to drive, i will.
That was so refreshing. Thanks for the post and the video.
I learned on the neighbor’s bike. No training wheels. No adult running along side. I got on as the neighbor boy steadied it. I pedaled like crazy and crashed on the other side of the street. A couple more crashes and I was good to go.