Will today be the day that Cody learns how to ride a bike??????If I would have answered this question at about 10 am I would have said NO!!!!! I was ready to take the bike back to Walmart and give up on the whole idea. I had no patience for Cody's clingy behavior and irrational fear. You would have thought that he was about to plummet off a 100 foot cliff rather than lean two inches to catch himself with his own foot.
Histrionic is a word I often use to describe Cody - overly dramatic. My son has a place in the theatre that is for sure....but after a break and the realization that he wasn't going to watch any movies until I felt like he had tried his very best to ride that bike, he came to me and asked to try again. Smiling inwardly at my tactics - not always so sure they will work while I'm making them up - we once again headed out to the backyard.
I had of course Googled "how to teach a child to ride a bike" and found some useful information. I was absolutely not supposed to touch the handle bars or the seat. I needed to hold onto Cody's shoulders and try to keep from becoming entangled with the bike. Due to the training wheel bars jetting out from both sides of the back wheel, I was fearful of who would end up bleeding before the escapade was over. So I went back to my brother-in-laws advice and kept Cody balanced by holding onto his neck. Because Cody had calmed down and had made the mental decision that he was going to have to actually try, we made headway. There were actual seconds in a row that I was barely touching him. I felt great to no longer be doing all the work and Cody was steering and balancing as we slowly went up and down Mott Avenue several times. I think that in another day or two I will have a full-fledged bike rider on my hands.
And then maybe Cody and I will have something physical that we can both do together....
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