goodbye, training wheels!

I learned to bike at a ripe old age of 14. The fear of getting hurt prevented me from learning a few years prior. But a week before I was to leave the Philippines to reside in America, I decided I must learn. And I did. At 6 years old, Big M is already older than when most kids learn to bike, so we had to start soon! I certainly didn't want him to learn when I did.

When Big M turned 6 weeks ago, I thought it's as good a time as any to use the bike without training wheels. We had to buy a new one that day (his bike prior is a motorcycle-looking one that was too heavy and too tall). I tried to get a Walmart employee to take the training wheels off but they said I had leave the bike and someone will call me when it was done. Screw that! I brought it home and took them off my self. Then Big M and I, and Little M went to the park.

I looked for a spot on the trail with a very tiny decline, set Little M's stroller to the side and gave Big M a tiny push. To my surprise he stared pedaling and he was off! He panicked when he thought he was going to fall in a ditch so he tried to hop off the bike. He hit his stomach on the handle, which couldn't have felt good. But we and I were so excited, he brushed it off. After that, every push was a success. Forty minutes into our session and he was able to start without my help and was biking a very long distance. At this time I was running after him while pushing Little M. I must have looked like a fool chasing a 6yr old on a bike. :)

Big M said the "rocket bike" (the work rocket is printed on the bike) made him learn very fast. I told him, "No, Buddy. It was all you!"