No More Training Wheels for J & A!

For months, Jack has been excited to learn to ride his bike without training wheels.  I took them off a couple of months ago and we practiced a bit, but the weather was cold and inconsistent so not much was accomplished.  With the weather finally becoming warm, we were able to try again.  I held the seat of his bike while he pedaled excitedly down the sidewalk.  However, as soon as I let go, he would immediately turn into the grass and fall.  He rarely made it more than a few feet.

But, he was a great sport.  Every time he fell, he would immediately, say, "don't worry--I'm okay!" and get right back on the bike.  I was very pleased with his can-do attitude.  After an hour or so, I thought that maybe moving to the street would cure him of turning into the grass, which I assumed he was doing out of fear.  So, we moved to the street.  However, he continued turning the wheel, only now there was no soft grass to fall into.  Finally, I realized that it wasn't intentional--there was just too much to concentrate on; it was hard for him to remember to pedal fast, keep his balance, and maintain the steering.  With this realization, I changed my strategy and jogged along side him for a bit, turning his wheel when he started to stray and then...it was done.  He was riding his bike as if he had done it for years.  It was a triumphant moment (for both of us).

Not one to be left out, Anna decided she was ready to have her training wheels removed.  I was not as confident that she was ready, but who am I to thwart progress?  I took her wheels off and we started on the sidewalks again to determine how ready she was.  She had the same issues as Jack, but after she started to turn, she would make squealing, gasping noises and put her foot down to avoid falling.  I hate to say it, but the noises were irritating.  It was a stark contrast to Jack's stoicism.  She was much more easily frustrated, but to her credit, she was also equally determined.  I realized that my annoyance at her reactions were impeding the progress and implored myself to do better.  We moved to the street and I discovered that Anna had perfect balance!  She did not need me to steady her, she just needed my help to get her started and then she was off and running, err riding.  She was scared of the grates in the road (storm drain coverings) and kept begging me to keep her away from the "graves".  However, within an hour, she was also expertly riding down the street (minus turns, which took a bit longer).  She is still working on being able to start herself off, but she managed to learn to ride a bike pretty well in the span of an hour or so and I am not sure she ever even hit the ground!

The pictures were taken on day 2, on day 1, I made them wear jeans to protect from the falls.