I've been working Rowen over the past several summers to get him to ride a bike. I've had varying degrees of success in training my other children. Some of them learned quickly (or even almost entirely on their own), while others required a great deal of help on my part, usually with me running alongside to provide stability. For Rowen, we have gone through a variety of different methods, usually ending with him quitting in frustration.
This past school year, he won new bike during a school contest. He told me when he won it (in the middle of winter) that he was going to learn how to ride a bike this year. Initially, he had a great deal of enthusiasm for the endeavor, to the point that he pulled out his bike multiple times before the snow and ice had melted off the driveway. Unfortunately, those early attempts seemed to dampen his spirits.
This week, I asked him to try once again. We talked about the fundamentals before, during, and after his attempts. He made some good progress early on, but seemed to keep overthinking the process and doubting himself, eventually getting more and more upset. Yesterday, he did not want to try at all. Thus, I was surprised when he pulled out the bike again today and gave it another try. Well ... I shouldn't be too surprised since I had asked him to come out to do some yard work. Connor even got on his bike and (after some initial teasing) started giving Rowen good advice (again, he was also supposed to be helping me with yard work).
After a fall into our center garden, Rowen's chain got wedged near the pedals. After I fixed the issue, I reset some of his gears and readjusted his seat. Suddenly, he was pedaling away. Sure, he needs to keep the handlebar steadier, but he managed to get around our circle driveway twice without stopping. He was beaming with pride at the end--even if he did land in the garden a couple more times.
This past school year, he won new bike during a school contest. He told me when he won it (in the middle of winter) that he was going to learn how to ride a bike this year. Initially, he had a great deal of enthusiasm for the endeavor, to the point that he pulled out his bike multiple times before the snow and ice had melted off the driveway. Unfortunately, those early attempts seemed to dampen his spirits.
This week, I asked him to try once again. We talked about the fundamentals before, during, and after his attempts. He made some good progress early on, but seemed to keep overthinking the process and doubting himself, eventually getting more and more upset. Yesterday, he did not want to try at all. Thus, I was surprised when he pulled out the bike again today and gave it another try. Well ... I shouldn't be too surprised since I had asked him to come out to do some yard work. Connor even got on his bike and (after some initial teasing) started giving Rowen good advice (again, he was also supposed to be helping me with yard work).
After a fall into our center garden, Rowen's chain got wedged near the pedals. After I fixed the issue, I reset some of his gears and readjusted his seat. Suddenly, he was pedaling away. Sure, he needs to keep the handlebar steadier, but he managed to get around our circle driveway twice without stopping. He was beaming with pride at the end--even if he did land in the garden a couple more times.
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