Link Rides and Spring Break
I stood on my porch with tears in my eyes as I watched Link fumble his feet on the pedals and wobble his way down the cul de sac. He was riding a two wheel bike, completely unaided, and enjoying it. Being able to ride a two wheeled bike is a rite of passage. It transforms a little kid into a bigger kid. It is a passage that has eluded Link when all his peers were zooming on their bikes and doing tricks. It was a measurable thing that he could not do and his friends could. He has possessed all the necessary physical skills for two years, but he was afraid. Because he was afraid, he didn’t try enough to get comfortable. Many times I would insist that he try to ride his bike. I would run along, coaxing, encouraging. But the drive to learn was not there in him, and so the efforts failed. Today Link climbed on a bike and just went. He was peddling and wobbly within five minutes. Within 30 minutes he was zooming up and down the cul de sac just like he’d been doing it forever. He spent half the day on that bike and loved every minute. And my eyes watered with joy at his achievement. He did it all himself.
There was no school today. It is Spring break, so the kids are on vacation. I am too. I have plans for outings each day this week. Today we went to a park and to Arctic Circle for for ice cream. In the four days remaining we’ll go swimming, roller skating, to a park with a museum, and to the zoo. The specific days will be dependent upon the weather. In return for this stream of joyful activities, the kids are being asked to do some extra work. Today we did a backyard clean up. We’ll also be doing spring cleaning indoors. It is like a taste of summer. But it is only a taste, because one week from today we’ll have to go back to school for six more weeks.