Matthew says he's going to learn to ride a bike. He's never learned before because he was the right age to start right at the beginning of that mini-wheeled scooter craze. He rode his scooter everywhere, and never wanted to learn how to ride a bicycle. Now, he's realizing that all his friends ride bikes and he doesn't. Also, he's getting to the age where he'll start being allowed to roam a bit farther without direct supervision. It's kinda hard to ride your bike over to your friend's house if you don't have one, and even if you did, you never learned how.
To this end, his Nonno has set him up with a really cool stunt bike with flashy paint, and his mother has promised to buy him a new video game after he is successful. Of course, the teaching falls to me: the guy with little or no patience for things Matthew has trouble with that I found really easy. Matt's not the best at math. When I was his age, I had an almost innate mathematical sense. I have terrible trouble trying to explain math concepts to him that I think are plainly obvious, but he just doesn't get. Likewise, when I was five, I learned to ride a bike in about twenty minutes, and never looked back. I suspect Matt and I will be working on this for several weeks.
I could be wrong. I've got my fingers crossed here, too.
2 comments:
I can relate to your frustrations with a son who does not find things as easy as I did at his age. Then again, maybe my recollections of my childhood accomplishments are somewhat jaded. What is more important however is that that son grew up to be more accomplished than I can ever hope to be, in areas that are much more enlightening and of greater social consequence.
Similar to you, my daughter learned to ride a bike at 5 years old, holding the walls first and threw herself and rode her bike first. My son started at 9 years old; I took him the the nearest park where there were very slight slopes and he practiced equilibrium first, then how to break and not fall when breaking, then get on with the speed and the bumps, then start being in control by pedaling, then success... less fear... and he now at 13+ goes to school with his bikes and is very confident. My daughter does not ride anymore she is scared by the traffic too much, and does not like it.
Valerie
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