Celebrating Losing The Training Wheels

Let's face it: if this week was simply about bike riding, couldn't we have all payed a teen minimum wage to run up and down a parking lot with our kids until the job was done?

Well, first of all, given the ability issues we are all living with, is that really the safest method? Do we really understand all that is happening motorically with our kids? And, furthermore, if the task could be accomplished by just us, the parents, don't you think we would have done it by now???

Bikes? This program means so much more than bikes!

Driving home yesterday after our older son had lost his training wheels, I glanced into the back seat to check on him--he's an ornery fellow requiring due diligence. Lol. And, the look I saw on his face? Quiet pride.

This, from a child who lacks outward expressions of various emotions. He can smile and laugh. And, he can cry. Most of the time, his face is flat. He simply hasn't learned facial expressions, and, really, he faces so much on a daily basis--medically, physically, developmentally and sensorily that I've not been too certain how developed his emotions were.

But, yesterday, I saw pride. Quietly, almost internally, and I wondered what he was thinking about. Which moment of the afternoon had brought that feeling?

Today, we placed his bike in the back of the van to take to the last day of LTTW. I bought the boys bikes last year after our older son gave a promising performance in the program. Those bikes, unfortunately, did not see much use. I didn't have what it took to keep it going for our older son, and, our younger son acted like he didn't want to ride, when, in reality, he was too scared to ride.

I dusted off that bike and put it in the van. And, when we opened the back hatch in order to remove it for today's session, our son dove right in and wanted to help. He would not remove his hands from it. He exercised ownership from the first moment he saw it until it hit the facility.

He was a bike rider, and he was saying to us that this was HIS bike. Such typical behavior. So touching. Such a gift.

Unfortunately, we discovered that he didn't like the handlebars on that bike--they were too low, much like a mountain bike. We'll have to make some adjustments to his bike ASAP! So, he spent most of the time on one of the LTTW's bikes, and today...

...both of the boys got to ride outside!

It's the final step for us. Victory. It was the celebration that the kids had done it! Their volunteers had done it! The program, on so many levels, was a success! And, it was in that scene that I noticed, I was without a child glued to my side!

I'm beat. I'm tired. I'm fried and worn down. I've been homeschooling a kid that talks non-stop about things that bug the living daylights out of me, and I've been up all night with a screaming child in turmoil. It's been the better part of a year. I'm on duty ALL FREAKING TIME.

But, now? My kids were with their volunteers. When they succeeded, yes, they looked to us for affirmation, but they also looked to their volunteers--the people who had worked with them all week.

Our older son, the wanderer, grabbed the hands of his volunteers. Hahahaha! And the volunteers went with him. lolololol! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Yes, I'm thankful for the reprieve. All moms in my shoes can laugh at that. But, also, I'm happy for my children. I'm happy that they receive affirmation from outside sources. Moms and Dads are great, but, in the end, support from outsiders is a real ego-booster.

Our older son was almost always holding hands with one of his two volunteers.


The kids all took one final lap, and were then presented with trophies, something our younger son feels that only true athletes receive--people that are cool.

People that aren't him.

However, today, he received a trophy. He said that he finally had his first trophy, and, yes, I actually saw him kiss it. But, he'll never own up to that.

How do you top a week like this? How do you thank the people involved with giving your children so much more than the ability to ride a bike? It's about support. It's about acceptance. It's about perseverance and reaping the rewards. It's about helping an exceptional group of kids to stand a little taller and on more solid ground.

If treated properly, it can be a springboard for the future.

It's a gift.

Thank you all for the gifts you have given our family this week. And thank you UNYFEAT for sponsoring this event!