Hot Rod in the City

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My Biker Dude.

This posting is wordy, but it is my journal so I wanted to get the full story on here.

I have tried to teach Aaron how to ride his bike so many times. When we still lived in Lehi, a neighbor gave Aaron a little blue bike. So we went and bought training wheels and put them on and he did ride around on that some. After we moved, I took the training wheels off because they were bending and not on there properly anymore and I thought it would be a good time to try to teach him how to ride it without training wheels. So I tried to teach him how to ride it about a year and a half ago, and he was not having it. He said he didn't ever want to ride a bike until he was he was a lot older. He was nervous and I could tell it was not going to happen yet. So, the bike got put away and I didn't push him to try again.

Then one day last month, Aaron saw some kids out riding bikes and when we got home he said he wanted to ride his bike. So we got it out and it was WAY too small. I think it was a little too small the last time, but it would have worked... but this time, NO WAY!

But since he was finally asking to ride a bike, I figured that it was a good time to invest in a bike. We checked at the local thrift shop first, but nothing good. So we went over to Wal Mart. I decided to use the rest of my birthday money to buy him a bike and a helmet. I figured it was worth it since once he learns to ride, we will be able to ride together and that is fun for me and it will be like a birthday gift for me as well. :)

When we got home, he was so excited. He got all ready, we put on his helmet and he started coaching me about how to coach him. I had these grand visions of him being ready so that meant he was going to be able to ride really well that very day. :) Not what happened.

I held onto the bike for the first little while, then I told him that I was going to let go and let him try. He fought me on that, but finally agreed to try. So I let go of him and off he went... he rode for a bit and then it scared him and he stopped pedaling and started to curve down towards the curb... he hit the curb and fell over. It was at that point when he was ready to be done. I would not let him be done though... we stayed out for another while just so he didn't have that crash be his last memory of the day.

After that day, he said he wanted to take his bike back to the store and never wanted to ride a bike again. I told him that we could not take it back and that since I used my birthday money, I wanted him to keep it and keep trying. (horrible of me to use that one on him). So he got some money out and wanted to pay me back for the bike... didn't come close to enough, but I thought it was cute though. So funny. Our 91 year old widow next door tried to use reverse psychology on him and even told Aaron that she would have his bike if he didn't want it and he looked at her and said "Thank you" in a really relieved tone. That didn't work either. Thanks anyway for trying Hazel. :)

After that day, my sister Lori told me about how her husband Scott taught their 6 year old daughter. He taught her how to stop first so that she knew how to stop once she started. So they practiced using the brakes first... then it helped her to know that she was in control. So I decided to try that with Aaron. He was still really nervous and I wasn't allowed to let go, but I did try to every once in a while. Lori even helped me one day and we took turns running while holding on to his bike. Thanks Lori... and Scott for the method of learning to stop first. He got the stopping thing down and I knew it would be soon.
I just kept clinging to the fact that he had ridden his bike for a few seconds that first night. I knew he could do it if he would just have the right incentive and courage.

Later that week, we went out to Salt Lake so that I could go to a baby shower with my sister in law. Aaron stayed at their house with Aaron's brother Steve and their kids while we were at the shower.

Part way through the evening, I got an email from Steve to my phone and it was a video, but it would not let me open it...

on the way home, I told Christa that I was sure it had to be a video of Aaron riding a bike... I knew that Steve could get him to ride if he worked with him.

So we got back to their house and he said that all he had to do was hold on to Aaron's shirt so Aaron thought he was helping him and then he let go and Aaron was riding. He had promised to take Aaron to 7-11 and get a Slurpee for him if he would ride the bike and I guess that was the incentive he needed. Thanks Steve!

He did it!

The photo above is of Steve and Aaron after we got back and Aaron showed me in the dark how he could ride a bike. I was SO PROUD!!! Isaac came up behind so he could get in on the action in the photo. :)

 The video below is the one that Steve emailed to me. It is really dark and sideways, but I wanted to put it on here anyway.

That next day, we worked on him being able to start riding on his own without me starting him off... and he got it!

Here is a video of that below. Please turn your sound down so that my lame voice is not on the video. :)

Don't mind the car at the end, we are very careful and stay on the sidewalk most of the time now.

Since my parents are on a mission, we sent them some video clips...

Aaron told them about his triumph on the bike.

Even though it makes me a little sad that he has reached another milestone which is proof that he is growing up too fast... I am so excited that he has learned to ride.

He is growing more confident with it and he wants to ride his bike ALL THE TIME now.

We even went on a bike ride together on Monday. It was so much fun riding together and seeing him so excited.

Happy Birthday to ME! :)

It is his new favorite thing and it makes me happy.

I guess I know what this year's Christmas ornament will be... A BIKE!

Good job Aaron... I love you and I am proud of you!

p.s. my explanation of the title of this posting:

when I was little, I would be out playing with my brothers and sisters and if a 'biker', a man on a motorcycle, went speeding by, we would chant "Hot Rod... in the city".

We make fun of ourselves now for doing that. We were kids.

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