Ohmystinkinheck

Kenny: “Momma, I can’t go fast enough with these [training] wheels on. They need to come off.”

Me: “The training wheels?”

Kenny: “Yes, they need to come off.”

Me: “Okay, I’ll take them off for you, but…” and then I stopped and chose not to finish my sentence.

Kenny: “What? What were you gonna say?”

Me: “Nothing, don’t worry about it. Here, give me a hand and we’ll take off the training wheels.”

So, Kenny helped me find the right size wrench and we quickly removed his training wheels. The proud little man marched his bike to the end of the driveway, convinced he was going to ride off down the street with his sisters. In fact, his confidence even had me convinced. Until he got on.

He weebled.
He wobbled.
He sat there, exasperated, with both feet on either side of his bike, holding him up.
He put one foot on the right peddle, pushed forward, and went a couple of inches, nearly falling over.
Tried it again.
And again.
Frustrated, he got off and walked it a bit.
Then, he tried again.

Finally, his sisters made it around the drive and Emelie said, “Kenny, you can’t learn to ride on the driveway - you need to get in the grass.”

“OH! In the grass?” he asked them.

Meredith: “Yea, if you try on the hard driveway you’ll get lots of cuts and blood because YOU are gonna FALL A LOT.”

Kenny: “A lot?”

Meredith: “Uh huh. It sometimes hurts, but sometimes doesn’t. I guess that’s what it’s like when you learn to ride a bike.”

The girls rode off again, for the second time, without Kenny.

I knew he was about to cry - I could see his face scrunching up and his head hanging lower to hide his glassy eyes.

“Do you want me to put the wheels back on?” I asked him.

“NO!”

“Okay then, I’m going inside.”

I watched him from the window. He layed his bike on the driveway, sat cross-legged and watched his sisters with the most miserable, pouty face the boy could muster.

And then, he came inside and went to his room to play Legos.

The next day I heard Jeff and Kenny in the garage. I went out to see Jeff putting Kenny’s wheels back on the bike.

He just wasn’t ready - and missing out on riding with his sisters was NOT WORTH being able to ride on two wheels without assistance.

Today I watched him trudge up the hill by our house - its pretty steep and all three of them like to ride down it fast and hard. It makes me cringe to watch him - I’ve learned to NOT WATCH actually. But today I watched and noticed how very little he needs his training wheels.

They are his security.
And being the baby of this family, he takes his time through each new rite of passage; he’s all about security.

Soon, very soon, he’ll outgrow the training wheels.
I’m so thankful I have a photo to remind me of yet another marker in his life.

21 Responses to “My baby’s got his training wheels on.”

1. tHeSocKmOnKeY

   Now that’s a good look’n haircut! You can tell by his step that he is quite determined too :)

2. Angela Tippets

   My last child is also a boy. It’s so hard when they want to keep up with the older ones. How very wise of you to stop mid-sentence. There is something to be said for security. :)

3. Cindy

   My youngest daughter did something similar. She got her wheels off in early spring. She rode fabulously, but had difficulty stopping. One fall on our gravel driveway and she insisted on the wheels saying they are never EVER coming off…

   Until we went camping and I think seeing all of the other kids without training wheels (some much younger even) gave her the confidence. We took them off there and she’s been wheel-free ever since.

   It’ll happen, when he’s totally ready! :)

4. Gayle

   Aww,this post really touches me. My youngest, a son, just turned 11 yesterday. He has passed though so many childhood rites of passage. Sometimes it’s hard to watch them head out into the world without training wheels. But it’s wonderful, too!

5. mamalang

   So Sweet.

6. Jenn

   Can I give you a hint that helped my 5 year old learn to ride in 2 days? Take the training wheels and the pedals off and let him scoot around, pushing off with his feet. It helps with balance. And removing the pedals keeps them from hitting into his shins, making it easier to correct himself if he starts to tip. Learned this from Popular Mechanics, of all places (the ‘100 things every man should know’ article - I guess women should know it too!).

7. From Single to Married

   did you take that picture? it’s fantastic! I remember the whole bike-riding thing, it wasn’t easy but it finally got better. Can be a tramatic thing learning though. :)

8. OMSH

   From Single to Married - Yes, I take all the photos I see here unless I say otherwise. And thank you - I liked it a lot too.

9. Michelle

   That’s too cute of him. And that he asked his dad to put the wheels back on instead of you… he’s obviously a little ashamed, but you’re right. He just needs time.

10. OMSH

    Thanks Jenn - I’ve never heard that before, but it is DEFINITELY worth a go!

11. Sue at eLuckypacket

    Love this post and the picture. It’s a good reminder to all of us also who still need training wheels in various parts of our lives. Reverting to training wheels is not a sign of weakness — but rather an indication of understanding ourselves a bit better. Thanks Heather.

12. clistyB

    my bike-freak friends have suggested the pedal removal tip as well

13. Curt

    Gosh what a great photo and awesome story! All the best with the training wheels coming off!

14. Starwoodgal

    That’s sweet.

15. Jill

    Great post, Heather. Cute pic too. I have been a really bad photographer with each of my kids at this phase. Too busy simply living the moment I guess to remember the camera.

    Thanks for the tip, Jenn. My 7-yr-old won’t let go of her training wheels since she doesn’t like to peddle much. This might be the trick for her. Of course, she may also just decide she doesn’t need to learn to ride a bike at all. Yes, she’s that strong willed.

16. Amy

    Felicity had her “security” training wheels on until they both bent upward and were a good 3 inches off the ground on both sides….aka..she was riding on two wheels for months before she would finally let them come off. lol

17. Lanna

    Such an awesome photo. :) They’re just growing up so fast, aren’t they?
    My oldest is just now learning to ride a bike (which happens to be my blue sparkly one from 1983!), but I can tell the training wheels won’t be there for too long.

18. Octamom

    Absolutely gorgeous photo–love it! And I really liked Jenn’s Popular Mechanic tip–never heard that one before–and it makes a lot of sense! We’re gonna have to give that a try!

    Blessings!

19. Dad

    I still have my training wheels on and they can be found on more than just my bike.

20. NurseBettyLBoop

    Dad-too funny!

    That picture is just amazing!

21. bethany actually

    Tell Kenny that I didn’t learn to ride a bike without training wheels till I was 11, so he’s way ahead of me. :-)