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So Long Training-Wheels

This weekend, I stumbled upon a fantastic workout! It’ll work your abs, back, buns, and arms too…Take off the training-wheels, and teach your almost five-year-old to ride a two-wheeler.

Think about it: abs and back get worked as you lean over the bike. Buns and thighs are tortured with a near constant semi-squat (since said bike is fairly close to the ground), and arms do a ton of work as you struggle to keep the bike and its rider balanced and upright. Oh, and running up and down the road behind your little two-wheeler isn’t a bad cardio-workout either!

Another thing getting a workout…my patience.

Pierre and I decided to take the training wheels off both boys bikes this weekend. Benjamin seemed ready for this next big step. Nicholas was kind of ready, and my thought was that by doing it together, the boys would give each other incentive to try hard. This was probably not my best idea. Nicholas just started riding a bicycle with training wheels at the start of the summer. In all likelihood, his trainers will go back-on. And that’s ok. Nicholas rolls with it…

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Benjamin’s training-wheels, on the other hand, are off for good. Whether he likes it or not. And right now, I think he might be closer to the not.

We live not far from a college campus, the perfect place for teaching bike riding: no cars, loads of space, and college kids more than willing to cheer the boys on. We spent a few hours on Sunday, and an hour or so yesterday evening running the boys up and down the paved walkways of the campus. Pierre and I encouraged, we cheered, we counted to ten (and swore silently in our heads). There were a few scraped knees (the boys), a whole lot of sore muscles (Pierre and me), and some tears too (everyone…well, maybe not Pierre).

Here’s the thing: Benjamin can do this. He is just so close. He can bike without training-wheels, he just doesn’t think that he can bike without training-wheels. And the truth is that he’s scared. I don’t blame him. I’ve fallen from my bike a few times (recently!), and it isn’t a whole lot of fun. It hurts. And I’m an adult who’s been riding her bike without training-wheels for a long time (My mom said that I was training-wheel free a few months after my sixth birthday, so Benjamin is way ahead of me!). Each time that my patience starts to wane, I remind myself that Benjamin isn’t trying to drive me crazy or annoy me or try my nerves, he’s scared. And the only way to beat the scaries is to build his confidence. That takes practice on his part, and patience and understanding on mine-and Pierre’s too. 

On Sunday, Benjamin road three rotations of his pedals without Pierre or me holding-on. Yesterday, he did four. Tomorrow, we’ll shoot for five. Practice and patience, right?

And I’m feeling a whole lot of something else…pride. I’m proud of Benjamin. Learning to ride a bike, period, was hard for him. Learning to ride without training wheels is even harder. I’d say it’s probably one of the hardest skills that youngsters try to master. And Benjamin keeps trying. No matter how much he tells us that he wants to stop or go home or whimpers or cries, he gets back on his bike and tries again. And again. And that is more important to me than how quickly he masters the two-wheels.

On Sunday, when Benjamin rode for those three quick seconds on his own, he was proud of himself. He untangled himself from his bicycle, and jumped into my arms, a huge smile on his face. I cheered at the top of my lungs. So did Pierre.

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I feel a whole lot more cheering coming on!

Anyone have any tips for teaching children to ride without training wheels? My patience is skill intact. My muscles, on the other hand, could use a little help.

xo Naomi

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