I'll be honest -- it had definitely crossed my mind that this would be the perfect time for the kids to learn to ride a bike. With a stay-at-home order in place because of COVID-19, we can't really go anywhere or see anyone, so there would be no excuse not to practice.
It was a beautiful 70 degrees on April 8, and the kids and I were having fun playing outside. Almost on a whim I got out a bike without training wheels from the garage. They both seemed excited at the prospect of trying, which was quite a change from the year before. Last summer Edith had made the attempt without getting too far. She just couldn't get the hang of keeping her balance.
I had rather expected that Atticus might just be able to ride a bike before Edith. He's a pro at the balance bike -- a balance bike that, in fact, was given to Edith by her grandparents years ago but she never really took to. In essence, when I got out that bike earlier this month, both kids were at the same starting line.
As I predicted, Atticus showed early promise on the bike, but Edith just couldn't let her little brother excel without (or before!) her. Before long, they were both pedaling a few house lengths before putting their feet down. And all it took was a few hours on a lovely afternoon.
They've continued to practice since that day and have continued to improve their turns, starts and brakes. We're not quite ready to go on a full bike ride together, but it won't be long!
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