Lynda Loveland: Wheels up!

We’re in the process of hitting another one of those kid milestones. My six-year-old son finally decided he wants to take off the training wheels and ride his bike like a big boy.

Personally, I think he’d just as soon keep the extra wheels on indefinitely. But I have an inkling he’s feeling a little pressure from his neighborhood buds. You see, he’s the last of his friends to need extra appendages on his bike.

The training commences. Caiden straddles his bike and I grab hold of the back of his seat. I barely give him a little push, while still holding on, and he practically screams, “not sooo fast!” We were barely moving! I told him you can’t ride sitting still, you have to move to balance. I said start peddling. He says I am peddling. I said, well that’s funny because your feet aren’t moving! He said, I want to go slow. I say you can’t go any slower than still, cause that’s what you are, still.

I take a deep breath and try to give him a little push again. He yells “slow down!” I go through the whole thing again about having to move to be able to balance. It pretty much feels like that movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray.

He finally lays the bike on its side and says, “just sell it!” I said fine, put it in the garage. And I walk into the house. If he’s not going to be receptive, I’m not going to help. I can’t force him, right?

After just three minutes and 29 seconds, the first day of bike training is over.