LETTING GO...

Faith learned to ride her bike this week...without training wheels. She is SO proud of herself. It was Tuesday afternoon when she decided that she wanted the training wheels off. Just like that..."Mom...I want to ride my bike with only two wheels." Oh...goodness...she's only four...she can't be serious...I'M not ready for this. But, I took the training wheels off and let her try. I forgot how difficult it is to teach a child how to ride a two-wheeler. Slouching...running...helping balance...my back felt like it was going to break! At first she didn't want me to let go. No problem...I wasn't ready to "let go"...in more ways than one. By Tuesday night she made it a short distance down the sidewalk by herself. By Wednesday she was zipping up and down the street on her own, but wasn't able to push off and start by herself. So, there I was running up and down the street with her, trying to keep up. A few of us neighbors were all sitting outside visiting in our driveway when one neighbor dad said, "I'll go this time." WHEW! What a relief. So, between Scott, me and Kent (the neighbor), Faith was getting someone to run down to where she was stuck to help her "push off." She set her own boundaries, too. She will go three houses down from us on one side of our house and about the same distance...to the park...on the other side of our house. Sometimes if one of her friends is out riding bike, too, or Parker, she will go down the park path and then back. She has now learned to turn around and get herself started on her own. Our little Faith said she was going to ride a two-wheeler and that's exactly what she's learned to do. She doesn't let much hold her back. I guess it would have been pretty unfair of me to hold her back by "holding on."

Here she comes...



...and there she goes!