Practicing...

Lewie loves riding his bicycle with training wheels.  He rode all last year with them on, but they, of course, didn't teach him how to have balance. 

This year, I'm determined to teach Lewie how to ride.  I learned when I was his age (seven), so I figure we can keep the age a long running family tradition.  When I was first learning, I remember countless days of trying to ride while my mom ran with me, her arms balancing my handlebars.  Then, on one sunny afternoon, it just clicked.  I put my feet on the pedals, rolled down our driveway, and voila, I was riding!

After watching some advice online, my husband and I decided to take off Lewie's training wheels and pedals, so his bike could be more like a balance bike.  We first went to our local park where he practiced on a flat track around our softball fields.  "Push, push, glide," I commanded.  We practiced for a good hour, but then Lewie spotted his favorite cousin Sarah playing tennis with one of her friends, and the rest of the day was history.

On Sunday, I decided to take Lewie to the college where I work.  Since our college tends to function more as a commuter school, I knew most of the parking lots would be barren, and there's hills too.  We practiced pushing and gliding, but we also practiced coasting down some inclines too.  Sometimes he appeared to have his balance, and sometimes he relied on his feet the whole time.  We practiced for several hours, and we did get one step closer.  (Plus, there were no kids [or cousins] around to distract him.)

This week, being spring break, we're determined to get more practice--either in our driveway or at my college again.  I'm looking forward to reporting some exciting news soon...

Lewie sitting in Mommy's big office chair after some major practicing.