Another childhood milestone has been reached! Izzy is cycling without stabilisers and is enjoying being on two wheels.
It took a few days of constant practice, but we got there in the end. At first as I was having to help her get going and then I’d let go.
She’d cycle a short distance, realise I wasn’t there and topple sideways. The thing that amazed me is how she repeatedly managed to topple gently and gracefully in a way that meant she didn’t get hurt!
After a while she was cycling without stabilsiers for longer distances, but bends and slopes caused a problem. Izzy overcame this and then learned how to use the brakes. Â
As it happens, using the breaks and learning to stop turned out to be quite a challenge. At first, Izzy was using them a bit too sharply and she ended up leaping off the bike a couple of times, lest she get thrown off.
This also led to one unfortunate ‘dad moment.’ Having shown Izzy how to use the brakes, she used them perfectly while I was running along behind her bike with a hand on the saddle as she’d only just got going.
This caught me by surprise. I accidentally ran into the back of the bike sending me sprawling to the ground, Izzy sprawling to ground and the bike sprawling to the ground. Nobody was hurt and so we got up and she cycled off again. This time, however, I was much more cautious about the possibility she might hit the brakes!
Izzy’s very proud to be cycling without stabilisers and she’s been very keen to go off on two wheels. I think for her, this is a big achievement and a big confidence booster. As a dad who is all for encouraging my children to lead a healthy lifestyle, I’m delighted that she has that bit more freedom and enjoys the activity. It’s outdoors and it doesn’t involve screens so what’s not to like?
It’s also fascinating to note how Izzy and her sister learned how to ride without stabilisers. The way they both learned was totally different.
As I said at the start, Izzy learned after an intense few days of practice. Helen, meanwhile, learned through what I shall call ‘positive peer pressure.’
I took Helen to meet a friend so they could both go cycling. Helen was adamant she wanted to keep the stabilisers on her bike.
When we arrived, however, her friend was off stabilsiers and cycling freely. After a few minutes in her friend’s company, Helen was asking for the stabilsiers to be removed. A few minutes after that, she was on two wheels.
Izzy’s very happy with her achievements and it is great to have two kids on two wheels and cycling without stabilisers. Nonetheless, it is one of those childhood milestones that shows your kids are growing up and growing up fast.
The next similar milestone will be when both kids are driving. It’s a few years away, but I know we’ll get there terrifyingly fast.
