no training wheels

Ry has been talking about bicycles. He carried around a catalogue for over a week, and he only wanted the ones that didn't have training wheels in the pictures. On Friday, he started taking the training wheels off the small bike we have and I stopped to get a wrench and help him. On Saturday, we finished painting and Jackson, Rylee and I went to a park, after first stopping for ice cream. Jack roller bladed. He's very good. Ry started gliding on the bike, getting the feel of it rolling while keeping it in balance, and then he just started pedaling. He fell over a few times, but nothing I'd call a crash. The narrow sidewalk intimidated him. It was hot and after a while the boys and I sat in the shade. Then the boys started playing catch, running around in their bare feet. On Sunday, Ry and I went up to the Academy, where there's broad sidewalks, a covered walkway, a brick plaza, and even a little road blocked off from vehicles. One little push got him going, and after that he rode and rode, going in circles, up and down the slight slope, pedaling and cruising and even learning to brake, looping around the road, and then riding back up on the sidewalk. When he started to speed downhill, I'd start to think I needed to race after him, but he slowed down, made a nice turn, and pedaled back up hill. He never panicked, even when I thought he was about to fall off the back the first few times he tried to slow himself down with his feet. He learned to start himself, kicking the ground until he could put his feet on the pedals. I started to stand in the middle of the plaza, and he did figure eights and cloverleafs around me, turning left and right, uphill and downhill. Finally, I just found a bench and let him ride.