She's doing it!

[Király]

Only four weeks since her 5th birthday, and my daughter is tearing up
the neighbourhood on her tiny two-wheeler, with no training wheels!

This is going to be one awesome summer. :)

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.

[Tom Keats]

In article <Z1%Aj.75162$w57.63430@edtnps90>,
me@home.spamsucks.ca (=?ISO-8859-9?Q?Kir=E1ly?=) writes:
> Only four weeks since her 5th birthday, and my daughter is tearing up
> the neighbourhood on her tiny two-wheeler, with no training wheels!

Excellent! :-)

Training wheels are a worse-than-useless bane.
I'd bet my morning butter tart your daughter was
self-propelling (without those horrid monstrosities
known as training wheels) before anyone even knew it.
Training wheels might as well be a ball-&-chain
retarding and restricting the tyro cyclist's progress
in the development of her or his technique.

> This is going to be one awesome summer. :)

I'm sure it will.

Of course, y'know what this means -- your daughter's
friends will have to follow suit in a "keeping up
with the Jones's" sort of way.

Juvenile peer pressure isn't always a bad thing.
I think it's the Primum Mobile of perpetuating
the bicycling specie.

My hat's off and my heart wide open to adult
new bicyclists as they gain the joie de vivre
of the avocation. But to learn to ride in early
youth is such a extra blessing. Same with swimming
and ice skating. And roller skating. And maybe
stilt-walking.

You're a good parent.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[rms]

> Only four weeks since her 5th birthday, and my daughter is tearing up
> the neighbourhood on her tiny two-wheeler, with no training wheels!

Have you seen that Arthur (PBS kid's animated tv show) episode where
Arthur's little sister picks out a bike and fights to ditch the training
wheels? That's a must-watch episode for your family!

rms

[Roger Zoul]

"Tom Keats" <tkeats2005@hotmail.com> wrote

> me@home.spamsucks.ca (=?ISO-8859-9?Q?Kir=E1ly?=) writes:
>> Only four weeks since her 5th birthday, and my daughter is tearing up
>> the neighbourhood on her tiny two-wheeler, with no training wheels!
>
> Excellent! :-)

Agreed!

>
> Training wheels are a worse-than-useless bane.
> I'd bet my morning butter tart your daughter was
> self-propelling (without those horrid monstrosities
> known as training wheels) before anyone even knew it.
> Training wheels might as well be a ball-&-chain
> retarding and restricting the tyro cyclist's progress
> in the development of her or his technique.

Disagreed!

[Harry Brogan]

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:17:24 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
<rogerzoul2@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>"Tom Keats" <tkeats2005@hotmail.com> wrote
>
>> me@home.spamsucks.ca (=?ISO-8859-9?Q?Kir=E1ly?=) writes:
>>> Only four weeks since her 5th birthday, and my daughter is tearing up
>>> the neighbourhood on her tiny two-wheeler, with no training wheels!
>>
>> Excellent! :-)
>
>Agreed!
>
>>
>> Training wheels are a worse-than-useless bane.
>> I'd bet my morning butter tart your daughter was
>> self-propelling (without those horrid monstrosities
>> known as training wheels) before anyone even knew it.
>> Training wheels might as well be a ball-&-chain
>> retarding and restricting the tyro cyclist's progress
>> in the development of her or his technique.
>
>Disagreed!
>

I would think that training wheels would be good for those kids that
are not as coordinated as others. I am sure that it would help a bit.

It helped both of my daughters build confidence when they were almost
too smaill to ride. After about a week or two they both wanted them
off and then they were off on theor on in a matter of minutes it
seemed!!!!
__o | Every time I see an adult on a bicycle....
_`\(,_ | I no longer despair for the human race.
(_)/ (_) | ---H.G. Wells---

[Jym Dyer]

> I would think that training wheels would be good for those
> kids that are not as coordinated as others.

=v= Sigh. Unless there's some diagnosed inner-ear problem or
other actual impediment, it's better not to stigmatize a kid
with something like this.

=v= Early on I was professionally evaluated as having mental
abilities exceeding my physical ones, but that was communicated
to me (and to others) with the word "uncoordinated." Little
kids, even bright ones, can't be expected to know what to make
of this. To say that it clipped my wings is an understatement.
Naturally I got training wheels, and they were a crutch.

=v= I still remember the day I figured out how to ride without
them, and with tears in my eyes and a wrench I'd been forbidden
to use, removed them.
<_Jym_>

[Király]

Jym Dyer <jym@econet.org> wrote:
> > I would think that training wheels would be good for those
> > kids that are not as coordinated as others.
>
> =v= Sigh. Unless there's some diagnosed inner-ear problem or
> other actual impediment, it's better not to stigmatize a kid
> with something like this.

I had been trying to avoid training wheels. I know that they can be
a crutch and that they do not teach proper riding technique. I tried
taking them off, along with the pedals, and I lowered the seat so that
she can have both feet on the ground. That's a good way for kids to
learn the basics of riding.

But at three and four years old, my daughter wanted the TW on. She
wasn't interested otherwise. I figured it was more important for her to
enjoy her bike with the TW on, than for me to force her to ride with
them off, which would only frustrate her.

Well lo and behold, by her fifth birthday six weeks ago, she was
determined to learn to ride with them off. She's now the only one in
her preschool who can do it and she's as pleased as punch with herself!

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.