Learning to ride a bike

They say once you learn, you never forget.  And who doesn't have memories of their mom or dad running behind them and letting go as we pedal furiously to stay upright. I have memories of being the mom running behind each of my boys.  But my sister found a better way - a balance bike/run bike/likeabike.  Whatever - it's a tot-sized bike without pedals.  And even my 2 1/2 year old can use it and loves it.

It was a beautiful day today and while the guys wanted to watch football, Ariel and I wanted to enjoy the glorious sunshine.  Actually, Ariel saw "her bike" (it's borrowed from her cousin) inthe garage and basically begged to go for a ride.  I thought my sister was a little nuts when she got this for her two year old - but he was riding a bike for real by the time he was three and loving it.  Guess I was the one who was nuts...

My daughter thinks this is the coolest riding device around - she likes to race me (I'm on foot) and she already has learned that she will fall and that she needs to just get up and try again.  Lessons in perserverance.  Because we live in a flat area, she really cannot go that fast and hurt herself - and she's wearing a helmet every time.

I don't actually care if she rides a real bike when she's 3, 4 or 5 but I love the opportunity for her to work hard learning something and to be proud of herself for accomplishment.  Plus, it's fun, active and outdoor.  If you haven't seen one of these bikes in action - check it out.  When they get good at it, as my nephew did, they really zoom around.

See it in action - professionally shot ad for a balance bike company.

This is not a sponsored post - no bike companies have asked me to review their bikes.  And if you have no idea why I'm disclaiming - check out the FTCs new requirements of bloggers.