Johann on His Bicycle!

(Last part of update completed and more pictures uploaded in Accident Follow-Up Post)

Johann has never ridden a bicycle without training wheels.  This is his third day on his bike.  Collectively, he spent less than 2 hours grasping his sense of balance and coordinating his gross motor skills.  I credit his cycling ability to his experience in riding the roller scooter and roller blades.

Still, I am impressed.  Very, very impressed.  I am a mama beaming with pride.

His brothers took a longer time learning to ride the bicycles.  We were still in Malaysia back then.  I provided them with protective guards so they could fall, pick themselves (and the bikes) up and go again.  I remember not walking next to them, holding their handles to steady them.  I simply let them "go loose".  After several bumps, falls and crashes, which caused other parents at the condo common grounds to give us the what-kind-of-parents-are-those-letting-their-kids-fall-from-their-bikes looks, they were riding bicycles like drunkards!  At last, they weren't falling down anymore.  It took them more practices subsequently to ride steadily.  I think the lack of roller scooter and blade experience was what took them longer to master their balancing techniques.

Today, the three can ride their bicycles without hands!

I did not believe guiding them physically would help them pick up cycling faster.  The falls and bumps, painful to watch undoubtedly, were all part of their learning curves.  That was why we had those guards for them!  Starting at a younger age helps A LOT too.  Younger children tend to fear little.

I recall how I learnt riding the bicycle with my dad next to me.  I was 12 or 13.  I was afraid of falling down (and guards were not in fashion then), I was very uncoordinated and we didn't own any bikes.  We had to rent them from East Coast Park.  Once, I crashed into my younger sister because I forgot to apply the brakes.

I was never comfortable on a bike.  I still am not.  Nonetheless, I ride with the family, always the last in line while Christophe takes the lead, making sure everyone is safe in my sight.  Being the least coordinated in the family, I know I am the last to qualify for this job, but I have to bump up my image as the boys' "guardian angel".  I am doing fine.  Just not excellent.

Now that Johann is riding independently, I have one more responsibility on my shoulders when we go for family rides.  He used to be Christophe's pillion driver, so I only had three to watch over.  My heart is beating faster even with the thought.

But like most mothers, I do what I know best for my children.  In this case, I just got to try.