Search Results for: blog the first training wheels

My Brave Year of Firsts

When was the last time your child’s bedtime story included details on the book’s main character crashing her two-wheeler and her mom recording the entire incident on an iPhone? Not exactly Goodnight Moon, but this is 2012, baby. If you are looking for a book modern-day kids can really relate to, then My Brave Year of Firsts is sure to be a fast favorite. While the playfully written page-turner has a classic theme–celebrating the triumphs and tribulations associated with a child’s major milestones–its approach is far from traditional. Actress turned bestselling children’s book author Jamie Lee Curtis and award-winning illustrator … Continue reading →

The First Training Wheels

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I’ve recently realized that training wheels are not just for your first bicycle. Training wheels are everywhere you look. I’m spending a summer reading way too many pages for a test that is way to big and vague. I’ve got training wheels though. I’m learning from others who have done it before me. I’m taking tips from masters and advice from anyone willing to lend it. I’ve got an entire army of training wheels around me and I’m quite pleased to have them. Training wheels lead to success. So when our son now wants to grab hold of our fingers … Continue reading →

Run Bike, Training Wheels, or Tricycle?

If you have a preschooler, you likely have some permutation of a bike. Perhaps it is a little rusted and very secondhand, or maybe it is new and shiny. However, if your preschooler has some wheels you may wonder what wheels are best for riding. If you are looking for a beginner’s bike, you may think first of the tricycle. These sturdy three-wheeled bikes are perfect for the tiny set and they are hard to tip over. They give your two-year-old or three-year-old a great start at simply pedaling around the yard or the neighborhood. Your child gets used to … Continue reading →

Riding Without Training Wheels

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Well, it happened today at about 7:15 EST. Our baby daughter, who is almost 6 years old, rode her bike without training wheels for the first time. Yippee! My two daughters came inside and announced this evening that the 6-year-old was ready for the big moment. My wife and I retreated to the front sidewalk of our addition to cheer her on. I took off her training wheels and guided her about 10 to 20 feet before it was clear she did not need me anymore – boy, I don’t like the sound of that. I’m already starting to have … Continue reading →

Bike Riding – How to Get the Training Wheels Off

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Summer time is here and this year, it will be a momentous summer because we’ll be working diligently with our daughter to shed her training wheels, master her swimming lessons and so much more. When it comes to getting the training wheels off, it can be a real rite of passage for child and parents. Some Kids are Daredevils I know many children in my neighborhood that are real daredevils. I, myself, was a daredevil. I shed my training wheels two days after I got my bike. My motivation lay more in the fact that I broke the training wheels … Continue reading →

A Playdate with Exercise

As the summer heats up, we have been scheduling our play dates earlier in the day if they involve being outside in the heat. This past week the temperatures reached highs of just over one hundred degrees but we were able to avoid the discomfort of such high temperatures by going out early in the morning. On one of our recent playdates we made plans to go to the only lake within the city’s limit. This lake has a lot of nice features. It has a beach for swimming and sand for playing as well as a good sized playground. … Continue reading →

He Can Do It Himself

One of the most fun things that I have been doing with Dylan lately is helping him learn how to ride his bike. It is a little red bike with training wheels and pedals that are connected to the front wheel. Up until about a week ago, he was content to move it around by sitting on the seat and walking his feet along the ground. Then, he discovered the pedals. At first, he needed me to push him along. I encouraged him to pedal as I was pushing him, but each time I stopped pushing he would stop pedaling … Continue reading →

Carve a Disney Pumpkin

As I’ve always said I’m not a very crafty person. When it comes to fall activities I’d far rather focus on the eating: candy/caramel apples, apple pie, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and more. Give me the guts left over from a pumpkin carving session, I’ll roast up the seeds and put them in cranberry sauce, or apply the pumpkin innards to a pie or a chocolate chip pumpkin cake. For the more artistic types, however, or at least for those who enjoy crafts more than I do, this month/season gives the once-a-year opportunity for one unique craft: pumpkin carving. Those … Continue reading →

Random Photo Tips

My parents recently bought my daughter her first big girl bike. No training wheels, no babyish designs on the handlebars and no little doodads connected to the spokes. Naturally, I had to document her first ride, so we could send grandma and grandpa photo proof that the bike is absolutely perfect. However, in doing so, I encountered a number of issues which I thought would make for a decent blog. For starters, I would never attempt to photograph a child riding her bike in the middle of the afternoon on a bright, sunny summer day. The direct sunlight wrecked havoc … Continue reading →

Make Sure You Share The Milestones

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It has been one of those weeks. Wednesday was the last day of high school for Hailey. What a milestone! What a crazy moment to be a parent. I’m happy, I’m sad, I’m confused. What happened to my baby? Hailey came home Wednesday with her cap and gown. I cried, she cried. I remembered to take a picture of her in her cap and gown and text it to her father. I didn’t want him to miss this moment. When you are divorced there are so many moments you miss. Whether your child lives with you or your ex spouse, … Continue reading →