Learning to ride a bike is a lost experience.

Today’s young people very rarely go outside and for those who actually would like to play outside and ride their bikes, communities have changed so much that you don’t really have neighborhoods were children can freely ride their bike up-and-down the street like we used to when we were younger. For this reason, it was very difficult for me to find time to teach my oldest daughter how to ride the bike. With a busy work schedule and living in an in-town neighborhood, it just didn’t seem that there was a lot of opportunity to teach her to ride a bike.

I promised myself that with my 2nd daughter, things would be different. I vowed to get her out and teach her how to ride as early as I could.

I started her off at 3 years old with a tricycle and then went to a regular bike with training wheels. When it was time to get her off the training wheels, I really didn’t feel comfortable doing it on my street where cars rarely obey the speed limit. We decided to go to my mother’s neighborhood which was subdivision with very few cars. I felt it was a safer place for her to learn to ride a bike.

We started off on the grass. Although it was a little harder to pedal, at least she had some cushion to break her fall, if necessary. Once she got the hang of riding without the training wheels on the grass, we decided to move onto the road. I would let her ride by herself but I would run beside her holding the bike so that she could get comfortable steadying herself on the bike.

My baby is a very independent young lady. She is very determined and can do anything she sets her mind to. Although she might have been a little bit scared, she was ready to tackle riding on her own without training wheels. After a few test rides with me running beside her, Jade looked at me and said, “Mommy, I think I am ready to do it by myself”.

We started off like the times previously, with me holding her seat and running alongside her. Before I let her go by herself, I heard her tell herself, “Jade, you can do this. This is going to be fun.” After a minute, Jade told me, “Mommy, I got this. You can let me go.”

As I let go, Jade started shouting, “I got this. I AM AMAZING”.

It was a wonderful experience that taught me a few things:

1. Fear Keeps Us From Being Amazing
Doing something new sometimes is scary but once you do it, it can be a lot of fun.
Fear often times keep us from trying new things. But if you don’t try something new, you will never discover how amazing you can be.

2. We All Need To Pick Up Some Pom Poms Once in A While
You have to be your own cheerleader. Sometimes you won’t have people cheering you on. That doesn’t matter. You can be your own cheerleader.

3. There is Nothing Like the Feeling of Accomplishment
In life there are no shortcuts. There are some things that you just have to do for yourself. People can hold your hand and run along side of you but at some point, it is all on you. And when it is, you realize you can handle it on your own and not fall. That sense of accomplishment is amazing.

I will always cherish these experiences with my daughter.

So, how about you? What experiences can you appreciate from your children?