...or anyone else who may be in BabyBoy's path. BabyBoy is now officially a bike rider. After months of resistance and my constant reassurance that BabyBoy is ready for bike riding, Dr. Daddy finally acquiesced and agreed to head down to the River Walk and get started. 45 minutes later...success.
I was so proud (and sweaty). I don't know if I sweat more from running alongside him or from anxiety that he might fall. BabyBoy is fairly high strung. He's gotten better, but he tends to be extremely melodramatic and gets really worked up when things don't go his way. The bike riding thing was a parental challenge.
Dr. Daddy and I's conversation on the way home:
Dr. Daddy: Wow, I can't believe he did it.
Me (in that slightly lecturing tone that he swears I sometimes (always) take when I'm discussing our parenting roles: Of course he did it. He just needed positive re-enforcement and someone telling him he could do it. That's what parenting is all about. You have to encourage them...insist to them that they can do something even when you aren't sure if they are really ready. That's all he needed. You can't just get frustrated and walk away when he says "I quit". It's just like I told him. WE DON'T QUIT. We aren't quitters. Period. We can say "I'm finished" when we've accomplished something and we're done. But we don't QUIT. That's what gave him the confidence to do it.
Dr. Daddy: Umm, yeah. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you told him he would walk home if he didn't learn to ride the bike. The added incentive of a new Lego set probably had nothing to do with it, either.
Me: Whatever. He did it. Who cares. Butthead.
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1 comment:
omg- this is too funny! i love your blog.
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