it's like riding a bike

liam is closing in on six-and-a-half years old.  he can jump off the diving board, make baskets on a ten-foot basketball goal, and do all those crazy foot moves in soccer with both feet.  the kid is far more coordinated and athletic than i ever dreamed i could be.  and yet, the one thing he couldn't do -- the one challenge he just refused to even attempt -- has been riding a bike without training wheels.  at some point (long enough ago that i don't even remember how old he was) he was going down a slight incline too fast and fell, and ever since then, he's pretty much refused to even look at the thing.  even bringing up the idea of taking it out of the storage room was an exercise in futility. 

but after having visions of a 20-year old liam tooling around his college campus while perched on his 16" huffy with training wheels, we finally decided that enough was enough.  we were headed down to the beach for the new year's weekend, where the roads in our neighborhood are quiet and, most importantly, FLAT.  chris removed the training wheels and packed the bike in the back of the SUV, and we were determined to, as we southerners like to say, git 'er done.

friday afternoon we went out there and it was, as i kind of expected, a disaster.  tempers were short and patience was nowhere to be found.  after about fifteen minutes of father and son getting frustrated, we left the bike at the edge of the driveway and headed to the beach to take a family walk, collect seashells for our new microscope, and play tag.  (eight inches of snow on sunday; 70 degrees on friday.  gotta love north carolina weather.)

on saturday, chris and liam headed out the street again with the bike and a fresh new supply of patience.  susanna and i were putting the finishing touches on a puzzle and followed them out there ten minutes later.  and as we neared the edge of the driveway, i could hear the boys around the bend ... and i craned my neck ... and there liam was!  cruising straight towards us all on his own, with a smile on his face so wide i thought his cheeks would crack, as if he'd been doing it all his life.  i was absolutely stunned.

because i appreciate you readers so much, i have opted NOT to share the video of that very first ride i witnessed, for it is full of that same high-pitched squeal of mine that you heard on christmas day.  (instead, you'll get to witness just how bossy a little sister can be.)  regardless, the evidence is the same: our six-year old son has finally, FINALLY, learned how to ride a bike.  hallelujah!