Bike Riding

As I prepare for the Cycle of Love coming up in November, Sam has taken an interest in biking with me.  Normally he just rides his bike on the back porch where it is flat and he does not have to worry about cars. However, this weekend Katie and I were able to convince Sam to ride his bike on the street.  Yes parents out there, we had to convince our son to ride his bike on the street.

Sam has a lot of rules of his own making about life.  These rules are often combined with rules that we have set up for Sam. Parents rule: Do not go in the street without holding an adult's hand + Sam's rule: Do not ride up or down a hill because it may be slightly dangerous = Sam does not want to ride his bike on the street.  Even the slight inclines on the sidewalk that make way for the driveway cause concern for Sam and usually results in him getting off of his bike and pushing it.

As we watch Sam and see his world grow, we learn more and more about what makes him tick.  At his very core, Sam is a very cautious child.  He does not like to take risks and prefers to play things pretty safe.  Hence why he did not want to ride his bike on the sidewalk 6 months ago.  The difference is that he can tell us these things now.  Of course, I also find out what Katie has been telling Sam.  Things such as: "But daddy, Mommy said I will break my head open if I fall on my bike with out a helmet."

So between our rules, Sam's rules, and Katie's words of caution we had to convince Sam that riding his bike on the street was a good idea.  Seems like an odd thing for a parent to do.

Well, Sam has taken to really enjoy riding his bike with Daddy on the street.  Yesterday we rode to his friend John's house and today we road our bikes together to church.  It took us longer to ride our bikes to church than to walk, but it was worth it.  As we got farther along in the ride, we saw Sam's confidence grow and grow.    It was great to see his confidence grow block by block along the ride. By the time we got back to the house, Sam was really moving.

Here is a picture of the two of us riding together last night.  I look forward to much longer rides together one day.  And while I would love for him to join us on the 174 mile Cycle of Love ride, that may be a few years off.