Mr. Blue has learned to ride a bike. Yes, it’s the smallest one they make, with training wheels of course—but he’s not even 2 ½! We’re impressed. He first learned to ride a tricycle, then moved on to borrowing his sister’s bike, and within a week was pedaling like a pro.
Which brought up a question: when the kids want to ride their bikes (and they do, multiple times a day) and I don’t want to be out in the front yard watching them (and I usually don’t), plus our driveway is sloped and the sidewalks aren’t great, what to do?
I move the car outside and let them play in the garage. If I’m not with them, I put the garage door down so Mr. Blue won’t make a break for it. (One time he got out of the back yard and I couldn’t find him for a couple of minutes, and I thought my heart would explode with fear.) They are happy riding around in circles. I let them draw on the floor with sidewalk chalk, or blow bubbles—anything messy is fine with me. I can look through the window and check on them from time to time, but they’re safe and can come in and out when they want to.
And that works for me and the kids! For other tips, go here.
I think it's good to start with a little freedom and yet some rules early on. I have a friend whose kids are 9 and 6 and they NEVER play outside because she's never set parameters and so they don't know how to follow them.
ReplyDeleteDue to space constraints, we had to move Livie's play kitchen to the garage. It sits right outside the door to the house, and I let her and Millie play out there sometimes. Millie is too young to be unsupervised, so it's usually just when I'm doing the laundry.
ReplyDeleteIf only I had a garage...
ReplyDeleteSMART idea.
ReplyDeleteGeez, Erin, I hope those aren't MY kids!
Great idea. I wish I had a garage. My poor guy is going to be 5 in a week and has never been on a bike b/c we live in a bad neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteBeck, nope, not yours.
ReplyDeleteYeah, uhm, I've been a mom for almost 8 years now and just figured this trick out the other day. Better late than never, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. It's good to hear that it's the preference of the teacher that the mom just stay out of it. I talked to her teacher yesterday, and she told me not to worry about it, that she (the teacher) is patient because she was/is the same as Livie -- a social person who always got in trouble at school for talking.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, lucky kids, a garage to play in, a floor to draw on with chalk...you're a pretty great mom, aren't you?
ReplyDeleteSandi