On Tuesday, I took Seth and Lockie to a lovely guy called Jonathan so they could learn to ride their bikes. Whilst in Bolivia, they couldn't really learn as there was nowhere safe enough for the boys to go. We have tried a couple of times with Seth since being back, but his balance was really bad - he would lean so far to the right that as soon as you let go of him, he would just topple straight over. We hadn't taken Lockie's training wheels off before, but when I found Jonathan, decided that I would put them both in at the same time. Jonathan said that he could pretty much teach any kid to ride their bike within the hour, from the age of four upwards, and even though he was quite a way from our house (Reigate!), I decided it was a risk worth taking. He was so cheap and I just thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So I booked him up and on Tuesday we toddled off with our bikes to the meeting point at a school in Reigate.
I don't know what to say other than the man was a miracle worker. Within 20 minutes, he had Seth cycling around by himself, and Lockie was almost done too, although we had to stop with him, as his bike was too heavy for him. It was too dangerous as he could cycle but when he stopped, the bike was too heavy and big and he couldn't put his feet down far enough or hold the bike upright.
Both boys really liked Jonathan - and so did I. He was kind, gentle, softly spoken and praised them the whole time. Even when they couldn't quite grasp something immediately, instead of telling them off or scolding them, he encouraged them and used kind words. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who is struggling to get their kids to balance on their bikes! He has been teaching kids (and grownups - one lady came down from Manchester to learn to ride with Jonathan) to ride for the last 10 years, so I guess he is the Supernanny of the bicycle world ;)
Anyway, Seth can now ride with no training wheels at long last, and Locks will be right behind him as soon as we get him a more appropriate bike for his age and tiny frame. I was super proud to watch them, and to be honest, I'm not sure who was more excited about riding on two wheels, Seth or me ;)
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| The boys were as good as gold and listened and watched carefully |
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| It was cold but nice and sunny |
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| Barely holding my baby boy - he just has his hand on his back |
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| Almost! |
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| And he is off |
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| He had to stop but was happy to cheer his brother on |
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| Thank you Jonathan - you're a super star! |
