The countdown was on as I found out that the kick-off activity of the Cub Scouts year would be a bike rodeo. My husband is the den leader and my son, who is 8 had not mastered riding a bike. Our son informed us that he wouldn't go and I explained to him that if he was willing to give me 10 minutes a day, he would be riding his bike by the event. Lots of grumbling and reluctance ensued, but I did get a half-hearted commitment.
I blame it on not having a garage and his bike not being easily accessible, but there wasn't time to diagnosis why. I had two weeks to get him feeling confident on his bike, and I truly believed it would happen. Each day after school and on the weekends, I would pile his bike in my car and we'd drive down to the Belle Haven Marina along the parkway. He practiced on the grass and it took him a few days before he started to get excited about his progress. We had a few bumps along the way, but within a week he felt confident enough to start riding his bike up and down our street.
Of course, like I hoped, many days our practice time stretched on to close to an hour because he was having fun. It was so great to see him excited about his progress. When the bike rodeo came he meshed right in there with the other boys.
The bike rodeo has come and gone, but most days after school, and at least one weekend day, he'll be out there riding his bike. One Sunday recently, he and I were riding through the neighborhood, and he turned to me and said, "we should do this more often, Mom." He totally made my day saying that, and I have him to thank as I sped down the hill with the wind rushing in my face.
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