Bike Rider

When Robby was a preschooler he loved riding his little bike. He would tool up the driveway and over to visit Mr. Bill without much thought or effort. One day he overcompensated when steering and rode his bike right off the rode, falling into a fully bloomed blackberry bush.

I vividly remember picking him up and consoling him after his first little bike tumble. After his tears were dried, he proclaimed that he would never ride a bike again. "If I was supposed to ride I would have been born with wheels instead of feet." Even at three years old he was incredibly logical! 

Robby was true to his word and has refused all attempts at bike riding. Both Scott and I have tried every summer to entice him back onto the saddle, but our efforts were in vain. In his mind, his fall five years ago has grown to epic proportions, with the injuries sustained nearly debilitating. In reality he was fine after a Snoopy Band-Aid and lollipop.

We never gave up on his learning how to ride, but we did make the decision not to push the issue. We figured that peer pressure would run its course and that he would someday want to learn so that he could keep up with his friends. If he were never motivated to learn how to ride, it would be okay. Regardless of what happened, we decided that we needed to stop making bike riding an issue because our encouragement was only making his refusal stronger.

Two weeks ago Robby pulled Scott into the kitchen for a "private conversation." After a brief talk, the two were out the door in a flash. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I could tell by the excitement in the driveway and the smile on Scott's face that it was big news. 

I looked out the window and was shocked to see Robby sitting on a bicycle. Considering that just a week earlier he referred to the same bike as a "two wheeled death trap," I was astonished by his change of heart. I'm still not sure his motivation, but he has been dedicated to learning.

It took a few days of practice, but my little Koopa is now officially a bike rider! His smile is so large and bright whenever he is riding that I can tell that he is proud of his accomplishment. I have a feeling that he is going to relish the freedom that riding his bike affords him in the coming months.