Wheels, that is!
Ever since the girls got bikes for Easter, Isabel has been curious about riding without training wheels. She is definitely my 'timid' child (Is it wrong for a mom to call her child wimpy??? If so, I will stick with 'timid' and you will understand *wink*wink*), so I was not really wanting to go through with all of the drama of trying to teach her to ride on two wheels. That is, until my friend Traci told me about a foolproof way to train. She suggested that I use a bike on which she can sit and touch the ground flat-footed on both sides and take the pedals off of the bike and just let her coast around for a while until she gets the hang of balancing herself, then just put the pedals back on and watch her go! Sounds too good to be true, I thought...especially when we consider how 'timid' Isabel can be. But, Traci assured me that her little guy has been riding with two wheels since LAST summer and he is the same age as Ashlen! So, we gave it a shot...
She made it halfway down the sidewalk...
And then the inevitable happened: 
Yep, that's grass on her chin:
I know the shoes are not the smartest choice...
I dug the tiny bike out of the garage sale pile and took off the pedals. She coasted down the driveway for a total of a few hours and really did seem to get the hang of balancing the bike!
So, the pedals went back on and by golly she did it!!!!
She made it halfway down the sidewalk...And then the inevitable happened: I was so impressed because the little girl that I thought was so 'timid' just got right up and climbed back on to try again! She wasn't scared or mad or even discouraged...
she was determined!
In fact, we were out on the sidewalk all night long
(except for an hour break for a much-deserved pizza dinner).
I love her face in this picture...that smirk cracks me up!:
Yep, that's grass on her chin: I know the shoes are not the smartest choice...she did much better when we switched to tennis shoes!
I think I am more proud of her than she is of herself...
trust me, that is a lot of pride!
Not to be outdone, Ashlen kept zooming past on her scooter saying things like "Look at me on my scooter, Mommy!!!" and "I have to practice my scooter so that I can get my pushin leg real strong!"
Thanks Traci...Your method is amazing!!! Now, I just have to convince Ash to give it a try...
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This will be my Saturday project with "T". Thanks for the tip! Chris is out of town, so it will be a great surprise for him when he gets home. Fingers crossed...I hope it works! :)
Oh, I'm so excited for her! It has worked for both of our kids and every neighborhood kid on our street. I love to see their little faces when they figure out that they are riding on their own....plus it saves all those dads from running in the street hanging on to the back of the bike! It's a win-win for all!
Alright...he gave it 10 minutes, and wanted to be done. We will try again tomorrow. :)
Isabel was a little 'unsure' at first, but eventually she started to have fun gliding down the driveway! I was shocked at how fast she went from 'hopeless' to 'training-wheel-less'! Hang in there! Oh, and the smaller the bike, the much much easier it is! You can borrow our little 10inch princess bike if you need...she has already graduated up to her bigger bike! Good Luck! =)
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