Riding a Bike

My 8 year old learned to ride his bike without training wheels - in the span of an hour.  Evan was so happy and proud of himself.  Once he gained a little confidence, he even started riding along with his feet off the pedals and trying to do tricks. 

Evan used to love riding his bike.  When we lived in Chicago, he would ride his bike (with training wheels) to his preschool class, around the block, and to the local park.  I would push Corrie in the stroller and he would race ahead to the next corner or driveway, then pause and wait for me.  After we moved to Texas, he enjoyed riding in our cul-de-sac in the evenings when his dad came home from work.  

Eventually - I think he was around 5 years old - he grew too big for his first bike.  So we got him a new one!  Actually, I think it was a Christmas or birthday gift from Grandma.  :)  Thanks, Grandma!  Emmett and Evan picked out one that was a little too big - so he would have room to grow.  Evan liked it, but he didn't feel super steady, and when we broached the idea of taking off the training wheels, he was reluctant.  One good fall, and he lost all interest in biking. 

 After a 2 year pause in his biking adventures, he has returned to the sport! 

I think he was motivated by a desire to keep up with the neighbors.  He has a couple of friends nearby who like to ride bikes, and he didn't like the fact that his still had training wheels.  Today, Emmett asked if he would like to try riding without the training wheels.  After some brief consideration, he decided to risk it.

I'm so glad he did.