So, I was bragging on his reading recently, because I'm really proud of him :0) And my bloggy friend Deborah commented something to the effect that her 1st grader hasn't got the memo that "reading is cool" yet. (And has older sibs to read TO her :0) ) And I was thinking that I should mention that Gunnar may be blossoming in reading, AND may have just finished his first grade math (!), but - just keeping it real - he can't/won't ride a bike yet. And he's seven and a half.
I think he's spent too much time 'reading' Calvin and Hobbes. (If you read that comic, you know that Calvin's bike is his nemesis. It's out to kill him.) Gunnar finds that hilarious. And he's a just a wee bit dramatic about one little spill he took on the gravel in the alley, for which he blames his dad because he let go. But I digress...
We've had a breakthrough. Thanks to the helpful persistence of our neighbor Dave.Kerry says, "I got there just in time to take the pictures and the credit."
It's a cel-phone picture, but you get the idea.
We're very proud :0)
All he really needed was the confidence.
4 comments:
Yeah! Go Gunnar! (I'd like to know more about his name actually...)
My kids were older (between 6 and 8) before they were confident on a bike w/o training wheels.
Denise
Mine have been funny about that. If I had it to do over again, I would never have gotten training wheels, but would've gone straight from a trike to a little two-wheel bike. 20-20 hindsight!
Wyatt is by far my most coordinated, but was more fearful of removing the training wheels, even when they were inhibiting his riding skills. We removed them, over loud and indignant protest, to put them on a bike for Tate. Of course, Wyatt immediately realized he COULD ride without them, and all was well.
Tate is ferociously persistent. He would ride, literally for miles, on a tiny bike with only one gear... and his training wheels. Until one broke off and he didn't even notice, so Kerry removed them both. I think Tate was not even five!
But Gunnar... well... he took his time :0)
Way to go, Gunnar! I couldn't ride a bike until I was 8, so I sympathize. I think I was 8 before I could tie my shoes, as well! Kids are so random in their development sometimes.
We're still working on the shoe-tying. I refuse to bow to velcro!
Post a Comment