My favorite thing about you is:
You get back up again.
f/1.8 1/4000 ISO-400
This whole "learning-to-ride-a-two-wheel-bike" thing? It's kind of tricky. Your sister got it when she was four and a half. Mmmhmm... blah, blah, blah, don't compare your kids, they do things when they're ready and all of that, but here's the thing, he is ready. He's doing it. Well, except for that whole steering thing - he can pedal, he can balance, but dang if he can't look where he's going and point the front wheel that way. Its frustrating, but sooo a lesson in "there-are-some-things-you-just-can't-do-for-your-kids" ("Hyphenated-things-in-quotes" that's the theme for this post). But as a parent, that's got to be one of the hardest lessons to learn. By no means are we helicopter parents - you know the kind: they hover hover hover over their kids and get their hands/head/feelings all up in the kids' business so much so that the kid can't really function on their own without their parent swooping in to rescue them. That's just not us - see detachment parenting. But we are good parents who want our kids to succeed at the things they try. Sometimes, especially when they're smaller and perhaps they're just not mentally/physically developed enough to do some things, we jump in to help - it's a confidence builder. Bike riding? Not one of those things. There's only one seat (and it's not even a banana style), one set of pedals and one set of handle bars. There will be no jumping in to build their confidence on this skill. Know what that means? They fall. A lot. Sure, Jeff chases them, holds onto the back of their bike till he's sure they have it, but he's in flip-flops and they're little and on a bike. Did you know that there are two speeds to a kid at this stage? Yep, so slow they have to constantly adjust the steering lest they just tip right over to the side, and lightning fast - so fast that you're sure they'd get road rash something fierce if/when they fall.
Here's the thing about growing up - especially in the summer when they spend tons of time outside - kids fall. They get banged up. Heck, Haley spent the greater part of the summer with scrapes on her nose from swimming too close to the bottom of the pool (seriously... and she wore goggles like they were surgically attached to her face so it wasn't like she didn't see it coming). I take pride in my kids' scrapes. They're out there exploring and trying new things. Pushing their limits (and mine), and doing the things they're supposed to in order to figure out how their body works in this world. And I'm keeping myself out of it (as much as general safety allows). Sure there are tears after a fall (as pictured above, he drove his bike into Daddy's truck - thank God for helmets - why did I never wear one as a kid?). The key is being there. Letting them know they're loved and safe when they fall, but that after a bit, it's time to shake it off, get back up and keep going. And BOOM! There's your little life lesson for this week, go read those last few sentences one more time. You're welcome.
Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?
Can I link you too? Leave me a comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment