I'm going to make a confession, like Cate. However, this is probably more of a plea. My confession: My patience, while miles more than it was pre-children, is not what I'd like it to be. This is most evident when I am trying to teach something to someone who simply does not want to grasp the concept. With effort, I've become decent at not snapping and yelling during homework or housework training or- and here is the current issue- teaching a child to ride a bike. I want to tear out my hair, but I don't! So, win!
My beloved Ethan is trying that tautly held patience. He wants to learn to ride a bike. Sorta. Kinda. No, nevermind. It's too hard. This is the problem with Ethan. He doesn't want to try something until he's sure of the proper way of doing it (which he got from me, yes, I know, shut up). Fine. Problem is, bike riding cannot work like that. I know he wants to know how to ride. He is just afraid to learn. He is both afraid of getting hurt and of failure- so this is a double hit to his self-esteem. If he didn't want to learn, I would not care.
So comes my plea. How do I get this kid on a bike? This is not a "how do I buck up my kid" problem. I can do that. So long as it's not followed with repeated dismal failure. I need a tried-and-true (and not black-and-blue) method for getting him riding. Help me help my child!
2 comments:
Training wheels? I'm no good with patience or with teaching kids how to ride bikes. I feel bad for the little guy though. And for you!
Sheesh, I don't even want to think about this - we're still figuring out how to pedal AND steer the trike at the same time. Ha! Maybe he just needs to see someone else ride for a while and get used to the idea? Sometimes it's mostly nerves... Good luck@
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