We're off to Lose The Training Wheels

I'm so excited for Alex right now, and also nervous too.  Ok, the idea of driving with both kids in the car for 8 hours by myself is a bit daunting as well - but I'll do it!  I've done it with one or both of them before.  We're visiting Grandma. And while we are there Alex is going to attend Lose the Training Wheels  sponsored by UNYFEAT.    So, the kids and I get  a week with my mother (their Grandma), I get to connect with some friends that I really miss, and also Alex gets to work on his bike riding skills.

Alex has been riding a bike with training wheels for a while. He was very confidently riding a 16" bike with training wheels but he preferred to ride his scooters instead. As a result, he outgrew the 16" bike which I sold to a friend with a younger child. Ages ago his grandparents had gotten him a 20" bike which my little brother and husband fitted with training wheels. But, it seemed just a hair to big for him. I'm guessing by the end of the summer with the way he's growing. For the camp, they want the kids to be able to be flat-footed while sitting on the bike and with this one he's tippy toed.  As we were practicing on it tonight and I was thinking to myself that the LTW people would tell me that the bike was too big for him (sending us out to buy a bike).

Well, right at that moment a  neighborhood child came riding down the street on a bike that looked smaller (but was also a 20" bike). The boy is 3 years older than Alex and pretty much his only non-autistic friend. One of his very few friends. So,  I asked him if Alex could try his bike and it fit Alex really well.  Meanwhile he was commenting how cool Alex's 20" BMX style bike was - "sweet ride" was the term he used.  I said to him maybe they could trade bikes for a week (and would ask his mom first, obviously).  So, we biked back to his house where I talked with his mom (a friend of mine) and she said it was no problem - glad to help. No trade needed as the schedule worked anyways with vacation, etc.  So we switched the training wheels to the other bike and Alex got right on.  Alex definitely fit this bike better and was more confident. His main problem seemed to be a lack of paying attention and not looking where he was going.  Ooops!  He'll work on that, I'm sure.

So,  I've decided I'm bringing both bikes with me just in case but at least now we have options.

I'm really hoping that Alex learns how to ride his bike this week and is able to give up training wheels!

Here's to Losing the Training Wheels!