Lose the Training Wheels - Day 3 - RIDING!

Today had a lot of highs and lows but has ended on a positive note.

First, my son woke up before 8am and announced he was ready to go to bike camp. He was excited and ready to go.

FB Status: first words out of Alex's mouth today: "Can I go to bike camp now?". Awake before 8 and asking to ride. Says alot!!!!

He told me that today he was going to ride Drew's bike and "lose the training wheels" at bike camp. I think he thinks they are really going to "get lost".  But, that's another story.  So.. we brought his bike with him, in case he was ready to be "launched" off the special bike from the adapted bike.  I hoped for the best.

Here you see him (he's the 3rd child - the one with the white helmet). He was going a little slow but has his moments where he picked up the speed.

Understandably he got tired as the session went on.  I watched as the other kids got launched onto 2 wheels and then I'd look at him going around and around and watch him fixate on the numbers on the track. 1 -2 -3 - 4 -5.  Every time he went over a number, he'd announce it. He'd swerve so that he could go over each number which was stamped on different lanes. I could see that  he was getting to be "done" as in exhausted.  At the end of the session all the kids but 3 of them were onto 2 wheels. Alex was one of the few not yet riding.  He was so close. After we left when I asked him about it on the way home he got really upset that he wasn't riding a big kid bike. "I want to try again". He didn't understand that his time for the day was up.  I felt bad for him. I wished they had put him onto the 2 wheels but it was only day 3, I didn't expect the majority of the kids to be riding already.  . They said he was "right there" and probably would get it tomorrow.

Here is where I disobeyed the rules...  they tell you to not have your kid practice at home between the LTTW sessions but I saw my son's frustration and I felt it too.  I knew he was very close and he could do it.  So, knowing my kid better than a stranger does, I took him to a nearby parking lot to give it a try.


One training wheel had already gotten loose and fallen off earlier in the day so I let him ride around with just the one remaining training wheel.  While he made some laps around the parking lot I noted that a lot of the time it was off the ground and figured there was no better time as now to remove it.



...It was here that I used a wrench (anyone who 'knows me' knows this is big!).













....And then, he was off.   He's riding!   

 

No more training wheels!!!!