She's Doing It!

First it began with the strider bike.  We introduced Dempsey to it, and she was pretty tentative.  Within the past year she really got the hang of it and started flying down hills.  Last Fall our friends were getting rid of their big girl bike, and we introduced Dempsey to it.  She could barely touch the ground but still wanted to try it out.  We both would take her over to the basketball courts and she would attempt to ride it...for maybe 3 minutes or so.  She would get freaked out, and would quickly switch to the strider bike.  This Spring she would ask Russell if they could practice riding bikes and he would always say, "YES!"  She gained confidence in riding---only RIGHT turns though, not left.  And no brakes, rather Russell would help her stop. 

This past month she asked if we could go ride.  I took her over there and it was like if everything suddenly clicked for her.  I showed her how to get some momentum and then start peddling and reminded her how to stop.  Some of my girlfriends showed up at the dog park and I was talking to them, she started doing everything by herself.  She was left turning, she was stopping, and she was even starting ALL BY HERSELF.  Since that moment she has not stopped! 

The next day we all biked, individually, to our family waterfall.  Dempsey almost beat her brothers she was going so fast.  She  has gone down the hills by the park, fallen, gotten up and kept going.  She has rode her bike in circles around our house and park at least 10 times in a row.  She has gotten mad, taken off on her bike, and came through the gate telling me, "WELL, I rode my bike-all by myself".  One day she rode the bike through grass to see if she could do it, and fell.  A biker came through saying, "Thatta girl!!! You can off-road it!"-from one biker chick to another! In this picture above it is 45 degrees and raining, and she is riding to school.  There were only 2 bikes at the bike rack that day, and it was hers and Ryker's.  Proud much?!? 

It's pretty cool how riding your bike can instill confidence and independence.  It makes sense.  Now she can get places faster than she ever has before, all by herself.  She can keep up with her family.  She can go a different way than her family.  She has control.  So another big milestone has been hit for the family, and even though she probably never wants to go in the bike carrier again I'm convincing Russell to keep it just one-more-year.

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