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Email a FriendWay to go, Raphael! Our 4yr old just learned a couple weeks ago…such a moment of pride for both the new biker and the daddy 
It Only Cost Him One Knee
and it was totally worth it
Posted by Danielle Bean in Family on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:17 PM
While I was away for a couple of days at the end of last week, 4-year-old Raphael worked hard on a milestone.
Dan removed the training wheels from his bicycle and he was determined to ride. Determined enough to withstand some falls. Many falls, actually.
He never even hesitated, Dan and the older boys told me later. He fell and got up and fell and got up and fell and got up.
I witnessed one of those falls after I returned home this weekend. He tried to turn, lost control of the bicycle, and hit the gravel hard.
I gasped but am an experienced enough mother to know not to rush into these situations.
“I’m bleeding,” Raphael noted nonchalantly as he examined a re-opened scab on his knee.
“Tough guys bleed,” an older brother reassured him.
He nodded, brushed himself off, got back on the bike, and tried again.
This time I watched my once soft, porcelain-skinned baby ride away from me—dirty, sweaty, bleeding, and free.
Comments
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Posted by Jessica Krom on Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009 11:25 PM (EDT):
Where’s the bucket for his head? Little guys need head protection even on little bikes.
Posted by Jennifer J in MN on Monday, Aug 24, 2009 11:52 PM (EDT):
Out of my 6 children, the youngest 3 learned how to ride sans training wheels this summer. The now 8 year old tried last summer to no avail, but with a bit of help from me this summer, was riding within a day. The 6 year old saw her sister do it and decided she was ready to try about a week later. Within 1 day and with very little help from me, she was riding without trainers. The 4 year old’s bike had a permanent flat and I was too busy to fix it, so I dragged down her brother’s old bike without training wheels and she decided that she needed to learn how to ride it. When asked if she wanted my help, she quite decisivly said “NO!” and was riding by the end of the day—a few skinned knees and many falls later. They were all so proud of their accomplishment! Hurray for my girls and Hurray for Raphael!! (and I agree with the previous commenter, where’s the helmet?)
Posted by Gwen on Wednesday, Aug 26, 2009 9:40 AM (EDT):
I finally discovered a way to teach my kids to ride a bike without the training wheels. Let them push off the ground and hold their feet just off the ground. They push themselves around like this for a while without ever trying to put their feet on the pedals. This way they learn to balance. When they can coast along until they are comfortable then they can pick their feet up to pedal.
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