Learning to Ride

My son rode a bike for the first time without the training wheels yesterday.  Knowing him well, I asked my mother-in-law to have her neighbor remove the extra wheels before we arrived to her summer home in the rural Marmara region of Turkey.

I am not one of those pushy parents that drives their kids to do things before they are ready - actually quite the opposite as I feel kids are under so much pressure to achieve at such a young age in the modern world.  However, I have realized that as a parent, sometimes we need to insist to encourage them to realize their potential as they grow.  Or this is just a big assumption on my part that will result in an epic fail.

Living in Dubai our children have access to many great things, but sometimes the simple things like riding a bicycle through the neighborhood is not so convenient.  There are a few cookie-cutter neighborhoods where it is possible, and there is an amazing bicycle track but you have to drive to get there.  It is not always easy to just go outside and hop on your bike.  This is the make up of the city and the weather is not always great in the summer months.

The first day without the wheels, he refused.  He wanted the bicycle the 4-year old across the street was using.  Unknown to him, she has the training wheels from his bike.  The second day he was still not pleased with the situation.  The third day, with a little help to start, he was riding almost immediately.

I am forever amazed at the stories I read about diabetic children.  They take many needles every day - pricks to check blood sugar, long needles to insert catheters if they use an insulin pump, or several injections every day if they don't pump.  Not to mention the blood draws from veins for regular check ups that are so hard to find on small children.  - All much more difficult than riding a bike for sure.

I have learned a lot as a parent, and maybe even a bit more as the parent of a diabetic child.  This week's lesson learned: You are always stronger than you think.  Most likely, your fear to try something new is a small drop in the bucket compared what you've already accomplished or endured.