I kind of thought that special parental moments like these were the point of having children.
:(

LiberalConservative: I kind of thought that special parental moments like these were the point of having children.
:(

I thought people only had children for the tax breaks?

Creoena: LiberalConservative: I kind of thought that special parental moments like these were the point of having children.
:(

I thought people only had children for the tax breaks?

Sadly, you reminded me of my country's 'baby bonus' payments for birthing. But fortunately (maybe) the people who get pregnant just for that bonus wouldn't be able to afford outsourced bike riding lessons.

LiberalConservative: I kind of thought that special parental moments like these were the point of having children.
:(

I agree, but more importantly, it's a clear sign that someone doesn't take their responsibilities as a parent very seriously.

These are the same type of people who blame the school/teacher for poor academic performance, but don't bother to work with the child on anything at home.

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him

...

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

-Harry Chapin

I outsourced it to my inlaws after lots of falls, complaining, and arguments. She came back a week later able to ride a fixed gear. This year I got her a 21 speed which took her a bit of getting used to but I helped her with it.

Remove the pedals.

Makes it easier to learn.

Kindly do the needful.

StoPPeRmobile: Remove the pedals.

Makes it easier to learn.

Take off the training wheels, too - they're counter-productive. Kids who have gotten used to training wheels are much harder to teach. Taking the pedals off gets them out of the tendency to use the pedals for stability instead of forward (gyroscopic) motion, which is what makes a bike stay up. It also helps them get the feel for putting a foot DOWN when they can no longer maintain balance, instead of going into the over-correcting death wobble.

When I was teaching my son, who started with training wheels, and is on the autism spectrum (and who had a lot of difficulty with that internal balance), I did a lot of reading until I stumbled on things like taking off the training wheels and pedals. We worked from just walking the bike forward (with the seat low enough to touch ground), to rolling, to rolling with the pedals on, to actual pedaling. It took a while to get get him truly independent......but after that, he was gold. He got his cycling badge in Scouts, and he's done three century rides with me.

Here's my CSB:

When I was learning (age 5), my sister had a shiny Schwinn (banana seat and chrome fenders) that I was forbidden to touch (under penalty of death, according to my sister). When she was away at camp, my brother took me to the top of what seemed to be the biggest hill in town, put me on the bike and gave me a push.....the hill gave me the motion for stability......unfortunately, we had not worked on steering (or braking).

As I went screaming down the hill, I saw that I was headed for a parked car in front of a house where a family was cooking out......they heard the siren-like wail and saw me, coming out of low-earth orbit, headed directly for their car. I left the street, hit the gravel, and SMACK! wedged the bike's front tire securely in the wheel well of their car. After they pried my fingers from the handlebars, my brother walked me and the bike home......and told my sister the whole thing was my idea.

I taught myself how to ride a bike using my neighbor's bike. Because my parents were too drunk to bother.

As with all outsourcing, bike riding will be taught through a series of web videos, emails, and incomprehensible phone calls with someone in India who doesn't even have legs but has a script to read from.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZShmt19uQ

I had training wheels and just bent them up out of the way when I decided I didn't want them. I wasn't actually ready of course but for a while after that I was able to ride on just two wheels and the training wheels only engaged if I started to tip. Seemed to work out, I'll have to see how it works on my little tax break.

I was a rather uncoordinated child who was pretty bad in sports and other athletic pursuits. However I do recall after much trial and error I taught myself how to ride a bike. I was so excited that I rode back to my house in the middle of the street. My father didn't get all emotional when he saw me riding on a bike (a "two wheeler" as we called them as opposed to a tricycle or a bike with training wheels) for the first time; just reminded me that I had to ride on the right side of the street and not in the middle of the street..

meathome:
I agree, but more importantly, it's a clear sign that someone doesn't take their responsibilities as a parent very seriously.

These are the same type of people who blame the school/teacher for poor academic performance, but don't bother to work with the child on anything at home.

I don't know. If I had kids (which I don't expect to), I'd probably get really involved with the schoolwork. But hubby and I are fairly incompetent, athletically speaking, so these hypothetical kids would do better getting bike lessons from someone else. I like the idea of the bike classes mentioned in TFA, and I'd be happy to go watch and cheer them on.

/Couldn't ride a bike until I was 8. My brother was riding before me - he was 3. I probably could have used professional help.

This is just sad. WTF?? Teaching your kid to ride a bike is one of those many activities that bring a parent and child closer together. Sure, it can be frustrating, but tacking it together and getting over the hill builds the relationship. If you dont want to be a parent, dont have kids.

Ima4nic8or: This is just sad. WTF?? Teaching your kid to ride a bike is one of those many activities that bring a parent and child closer together. Sure, it can be frustrating, but tacking it together and getting over the hill builds the relationship. If you dont want to be a parent, dont have kids.

A big ol' THiS. My daughter is two and I can't WAIT til I can teach her to ride a bike!

Sadly, I'm surrounded with parents who do NOTHING with their kids. They don't play, they don't teach, they barely pay attention outside whatever box daycare they stick 'em in. We get together in activities and they complain how we're so lucky because my daughter "is so gifted."

These are the same kind of people who keep saying (like it's a mantra) "Having kids shouldn't change your whole life". Grrrr...yeah, it kinda DOES...and it means hey, you can't go dancing every weekend night anymore and you might not be able to go out as much BECAUSE YOU HAVE A KID YOU NEED TO HELP RAISE.

Fark them...she's not "gifted". We took our time and got a great daycare, at home we play with her and we talk to her. I love that we have her and I love spending time with her and watching her learn. How do these people have kids and NOT get that?

The only time these people pay attention to their kids is when they're out and about.

Kids are NOT fashion accessories!

I have two boys (4 and 8) I don't think the 8 year old will ever learn and the 4 year old thinks that only adults ride bikes since the wife and I are always heading out on one.

The 4 year old sure does love the trail-a-bike I bought though, always yelling at me to go faster and faster.

I wish someone had sent me to bike-riding classes. We lived in a desert community with no sidewalks and nowhere to ride except non-busy surface streets, which we did not live near. I would have taught myself to ride in the backyard on the dirt and cholla the way I taught myself to roller skate on our driveway slab, but my parents never even purchased a bike for us to use. I am a 34 year old woman with no clue how to ride a bike. Yes I'm a little bitter. My boys both have bikes and I take them to the park every week to practice.

Lord Soth: My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him

...

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

-Harry Chapin


Thread over.

/Love that song

Teach them to ride a bike? Hell, I just sold all mine for medical experiments.

Too busy to teach your kids to ride a bike?


Maybe you need to re-prioritize your life