When I was a kid, growing up in the 1990’s, one of my favorite pastimes was riding my bike with my brother and the other neighborhood kids. Joel, Mikey, and I would ride for hours up and down the sidewalk of our street, playing every game imaginable from “CHiPs” to drive-thru and cops & robbers.

I vaguely remember my first bike, but my second bike is burned deep within my memory. It was the most awesome Batman bike! From the license plate type hanger on the front to the awesome stickers on the side I knew I was riding in style.

A few weeks ago I purchased Madison her first big girl bike. With a pink frame, white wheels, and a cute little flower design on the seat it’s a far stretch from what I rode as a kid. I’d imagine she probably feels the same way about her bike as I did about my “Batmobile”, a strange sense of pride. Not just in yourself for learning how to ride but in the bike itself. It’s just rubber and aluminum, but for some reason you just feel cool when you’re on a new bike. Plain and simple, you just feel cool when you’re on a new bike.

So far Mads has been able to ride a few times with training wheels. She’s just about mastered all the basics. She can slow down, stop, turn, and even ride over speed bumps with relative ease. Each time she gets a little more confident and gains a little more control.

Right now, she’s just having fun. But, what she doesn’t realize is she’s learning an important lesson about life. Like any 5 year old she’s convinced that anything that is challenging is too hard to even attempt, often giving up before giving it a try. But, because of biking it seems she’s beginning to understand exactly what she is capable of. “Daddy, I don’t need help on this hill.” She’ll say and mean it too. Nothing stops her on her bike, not even her first fall! Hopefully that confidence will spread into other parts of her life as well.

What are some lessons your kids learned through alternative means?

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