Once her bikes stopped coming with training wheels, she stopped coming with interest. She enjoyed it when I bought her another bike from the thrift store or a garage sale. (I was smart enough to not blow money on a new bike. Or I didn’t have the money for a new bike, depending how you want to tell the story, haha…) She would get on it and make up some sort of excuse for not wanting to ride on it. And, there it would sit until I finally put it in the garage or she outgrew it. Until the other day!
In February, I kept a promise to Antwan and bought him a fancy new bike. It was his late birthday/the tax refund came present! And it inspired Lizzie to want the adult size tricycle at Walmart. But, thankfully, I transferred her inspiration to a cute pink bike at our favorite thrift store.
Before she got on the bike, I got her helmets and pads. I knew that if she fell and got hurt even once, it would take a long time for me to get her back on that bike. We quickly discovered that cute little girl pads are made for little girls, not 9 year olds, so we ended up buying adult size pads.
Either way, she was all set. I worked with her a few times but we were getting no where and she was unconvinced that it was worth the effort. Between my lack of stamina in the running next to a bike department and her confidence that bad things would happen if I let go, it was easier for her to go back to the scooter.
I was terrified that she was going to outgrow this bike, too. So, yesterday, I roped my sister into helping. 🙂
For Monica, teaching a child to ride a bike is apparently, just like riding a bike because in minutes, my little girl was riding a bike! (Ironically, without wearing any safety pads.)
We came home and showed Daddy and she gained more and more confidence but still wasn’t sure she liked it. Today, we practiced some more and it finally clicked. She was even trying to master turning on her own and I could see the pride in her eyes, even though, she didn’t completely make the turn. She was realizing that she was getting better. She was determined to keep going and figure it out. This is a not often seen side of Lizzie. Sadly, she is quick to get discouraged when she really has to work at something. But, not today! She was proving something to herself and the world! Lizzie Parker has arrived!
So, naturally, her bike pedal came off.
And despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get it back on. Sigh.
Well, I don’t know if that’s a metaphor for our life, if it’s funny, or if it just stinks. Maybe it’s all three. I just know that Murphy’s Law is a thing. And if Daddy can’t fix her pedal, Murphy owes my daughter a bike! 😉
the6parkers 