There’s a day I’ve dreaded annually, for about three years running.
A day that should be fun and lively and active, but in actuality, is angsty and stressful and potentially embarrassing.
The day of our school’s Bike Rodeo!
As I understand it, this event is jointly run by the local police and school systems as a way to encourage safe bike riding for all kiddos.
The better they ride, the safer they are. And the better equipped their bikes and persons are with safety features like reflective gear and helmets, the safer they are. I get the idea behind it all.
That said.
The whole event involves a grading system and potential “winners” by grade level, based on said grading.
Kiddos who chose to participate tackle the course challenges in front of their peers, and are tasked with doing things like riding in straight lines or pre-set circles, and weaving in and out of a safety cones obstacle situation.
It’s all a bit stressful for even the best of riders, and for kiddos still learning…welp, it’s a toughie one!
Performance jitters kick in big time, and there are always spectator kiddos—or participatory kiddos—who have “thoughts” on how well certain kiddos ride, and whether or not they should have training wheels. Oye. It’s a whole thing!
Honestly, I’ve just been proud of any and all of my kiddos for their willingness to try. They’ve always been ready to go for it, even when they’re a bit shaky on their wheels.
All that said…when Little Man set his mind to readying himself for this year’s Bike Rodeo, I was suuuuuuper anxious (but definitely not showing it; I was his loudest Hype Woman). With only a few days of nice weather and no illness for him to get things down, I was stressed.
But you know what????? The dude DID IT!!!
For better or worse, my kiddos have all finally gotten the hang of their bike riding at the age of eight.
Seriously.
All. Three. Kiddos.
No matter what we did prior to that age, they just couldn’t tackle the coordination and leg power necessary.
But just like with the girlies, when he was finally ready, he was ready, and it only took a couple of days!
One day to get the hang of launching off without training wheels.
One day to get the steering down pat without tilting the handlebars when he got worried or wobbly.
And one day to figure out the logistics of powering up for certain hills and turns.
After an initial round of Daddy taking him to the flat parking lot at school to get his sea legs, we practiced every afternoon.
After an initial round of Daddy taking him to the flat parking lot at school to get his sea legs, we practiced every afternoon.
And every day, he got stronger and prouder. :)
This particular day, it was like 40-degrees and his smile was a bit frozen, but he was SO proud of himself!
Fast forward to last night, and our whole darn family took a bike ride together around the neighborhood, and it was so exciting to have my boy right there with us, on his bike and not his scooter.
I have no doubt this is only the beginning of a whole new era for our family, in terms of what we’ll be able to do together—both in the neighborhood, and on vacation, when there always seem to be so many bike riding opportunities.
This particular day, it was like 40-degrees and his smile was a bit frozen, but he was SO proud of himself!
Fast forward to last night, and our whole darn family took a bike ride together around the neighborhood, and it was so exciting to have my boy right there with us, on his bike and not his scooter.
I have no doubt this is only the beginning of a whole new era for our family, in terms of what we’ll be able to do together—both in the neighborhood, and on vacation, when there always seem to be so many bike riding opportunities.
I also have secret dreams of electric bikes for our fam, to assist with allllllll the hills in our neck of the woods. It will be such an amazing thing, someday, to take long and challenging rides together.
In the end, the most hysterical thing about all of this angsty bike prep? The Bike Rodeo had to be canceled last week! The weather was too cold to safely have the kiddos outdoors for that long, and the school had to reschedule it…for the end of May, ha.
By then, my boy will be a pro—or at least, fully confident in his bike riding that I can officially mark the END of my angsty Bike Rodeo era.
Amen, for the last of my babies reaching this milestone! I’m too excited about it to be sentimental…for now, ha.
Now, please enjoy these posts from the girlies’ bike milestones:
Happy Monday, peeps!
The kiddos are off school tomorrow for Election Day, and I am HERE FOR IT.
Over and out.
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