She's been ready for such a long time. We just rarely go for bike rides in our roller coaster neighborhood. For her maiden ride we chose the level basketball court and slightly more forgiving baseball field at Taylor, her elementary school.
As we arrived, I shouted to her across the field, "This is the day, Ella! You're going to ride your bike!" She didn't seem convinced.
We took off the training wheels, then strapped on her helmet. And knee pads. And elbow pads. And wrist braces. And then it was time for Kim to do what all dads have done since bike riding began. He held the back of her seat as she peddled her pink cruiser slowly and cautiously, then faster and more steadily, until it was time.
He let go. And she kept going. And going. Just like that.
She had a pretty good run, then stopped pedaling and fell over. She repeated the predictable sequence a few times, smiling occasionally but generally pretending it was, as she would say, "easy peasy lemon squeezy." After a couple of hard falls, she'd had enough and needed a break.
While Ella sipped water from her sports bottle, we watched Lauren proudly ride her purple bmx (with training wheels) around and around the basketball court. She reminded us then, and several times later, that she was really the best bike rider, because she wasn't falling over.
And then it was time for one more triumphant ride across the field to the car so that Ella could end the day with a happy memory. And she did.
Way to go, Ella. I knew you could do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment