A HUGE milestone!! Counter to common belief, it is not a 1st time and you’ll get it sort of thing. This has been a month long work in progress.
It started with Olivia asking to have her training wheels removed early August. Then it was several nights of 5-10 minute sessions with Dad running down the street holding onto the handlebars (and breaking his back) while we try to find that magical balance point.
A couple of practices later, Olivia would begin to go stretches of 2-3 seconds (10 yards?) and then stop herself because she wasn’t confident enough to go that little bit further. Not for lack of determination. Just because she was going outside the comfort zone. In fact, she surpassed my level of commitment at times. Whenever I brought up the notion that she just might not be ready for this, she would bark back at me saying she is brave and determined and will NOT go back to the training wheels.
Sonia took a different tack on the problem. My tactic was admittedly very 1 dimensional: Put in the time until you just find the balance. Sonia worked more on getting Olivia to understand the notion of balance. She started by just having her coast down the driveway and focus on her hands and how slight turns on the wheel can correct any wobbles.
To accompany this exercise, and perhaps by coincidence(?), Olivia started to spend more time on her 2 wheel scooter. Without her realizing it, she was applying the same balance techniques that she would need for the bike. Whenever she was coasting on the scooter she was deftly working her hands on the handlebars to correct her balance. For some reason, she was far more confident on the scooter and able to go beyond that same comfort zone she would need to have with her bike.
For about a week of constant scooting around, we shut down the bike and let her focus on that. Then last night I asked her if she wanted to practice the bike again. So, we lined up on the side of the road and I prepared for the 10 or so minutes of back aching work.
On the first attempt we set out as usual, me holding onto the handlebars and running alongside. This time I reminded her to use the handlebars to correct her balance. When I felt that maybe I could let go we were about 10 seconds into it. I let go…..she wobbled….corrected….and at about the time where I would grab hold to help her….I didn’t….she kept going….and going…and going. And each turn of the wheel she got less and less wobbly. And then there it was. As if she’d been doing it for years!! Very stable. A few wobbles from time to time. She was only able to make right turns for the first while.
After about ten minutes Olivia and Sonia went for the first bike-ride ever without training wheels while Christien and I triked around and drew chalkings of Darth Vader on the driveway. By the time they came back from the ride, Olivia was an expert.
Am I going to miss those backbreaking sessions. YEP! I can’t believe we’re onto the next stage in a blink of an eye. Now she has the ability to expand her neighbourhood and there’ll be no turning back.
I remember when I learned to ride on two wheels. Instead of the road, I practiced in the church parking lot. While watching Olivia I felt the same sensation of getting that balance as if I were doing it all over again. I also remember only being able to do right turns that first time.
Congratulations Kiddo!!