Promises Part 2

Be Careful What You Promise Your Kids
Part 2

Life Without Training Wheels


Wednesday, February 15, 2006

And now the fun really begins. We just HAD to come across a very reasonably priced Honda 50 on Craig’s List. And we just HAD to get it before it got snagged up. And, you guessed it! We just HAD to give it to him before the weekend. (Hey, it was supposed to rain!) Okay, okay, I know, but when you’re a parent and you’re excited to give something to your child, you can’t hold back. And we made a deal with him. What kind of lesson are we teaching him if we don’t hold up our end of the bargain?

Jack was up in his room for quiet time when he spotted Terry rounding the corner, trailer in tow, motorcycle strapped in the back. I heard him yelling, “Daddy has my motorcycle! Daddy has my motorcycle!” We tried to convince him that it was a new lawnmower, but the kid wasn’t goin’ for it. And then Terry tried to start it… It had started plenty of times before he got it home. Seems the previous owners never had a real ‘service’ done on the bike, just kept it filled with oil. Fine. Off to the dealer it went the next day for a very reasonably priced tune-up and Voila!, all is well with the bike. So off to the park we went to give it a go. Earlier in the day, Terry made sure to get Jack geared up (chest/back/shoulder protector, arm pads, knee pads, etc.) to match the big ol’ helmet. His gear has been dubbed “The Exoskeleton”.

Across the street we drove to the soccer fields. Couldn’t try the first ride on pavement. Ouch! Not enough BandAids for that spill. Jack arrived with most of his gear already on, just needed the bobblehead helmet and he was ready. I’m tellin’ ya, the kid had no fear going into this. Very proud. Terry took him through all the particulars of the bike (how much is a 4 year old really going to remember?), showing him how to take it out of neutral, putting it into gear, etc. Terry also made sure to cinch the throttle control down to ensure no speedy getaways. He started it up, let it run, on climbed Jack, in went the gear and off into the sunset he rode, Terry jogging alongside him. It was awesome!!! Jack went at it like a pro, never falling and wearing a huge grin. Golden. I can’t believe the balance and coordination this kid has! And then, we had our first killjoy…

I see her walking, no marching, up to us from her maroon minivan in the gravel parking lot. Socks, no shoes, bi-level 80’s do, pants pulled up to here. Classic. I just told Terry I’d handle it. It was obvious that this lady had a beef about something and I was in the mood. Why walk across a soccer field in socks if you don’t have a bug up your butt? Off Terry and Jack went as I heard the first, “Excuse me! Excuse me!” I donned my best half-hearted smile and replied, “Yes, can I help you?”
“There are no bikes or motorcycles allowed on here. This is a private field and…”
“I’m sorry, but we just live right over there and wanted to bring our son to a safe spot to let him learn to ride his motorcycle,” I replied.
“Well, motorcycles and bikes are NOT allowed here,” was all she could come up with.
“I totally understand what you’re saying, and we won’t be very long. We just wanted to bring him to a safe location.” Grrrrrr.
“Well couldn’t you go to a city park? There are plenty around” replied her majesty.
“Again, we only live right over there and we’ll be done soon. We wanted to make sure we were out of the way of the soccer players.” I waited for an intelligent reply. I didn’t get one.
“Well, you’re doing a great job of teaching your son to be disrespectful…”
I couldn’t even give her the chance to finish her sentence as I rocked my head back, yelled “Oh my God, you’re KIDDING ME!” and just started LAUGHING! I couldn’t believe that there were still people like her around! No “Hey, I understand about not wanting your son to get hurt. Could you maybe go somewhere else next time?” Nada. When I looked back after my good belly laugh, she was marching her stocking feet back to the minivan. I SWEAR I saw smoke coming from her ears. I remember people like her growing up – always follow the rules! Sorry but it’s reallllllly hard to take someone seriously when they’re too lazy to put on their shoes before trying to bully another. She took off in her maroon minivan and never returned. Thanks, lady! You make for a great story. Killjoy.

Since then we’ve found the perfect place to ride right around the corner from our house. The levee road off Road 102 is a dirt bike riders dream. No people, no minivans, no killjoy’s. Jack is doing awesome! Terry and I are truly proud and frightened at the same time. Something tells me that this kid is not going to be the usual “play soccer and football” kinda kid. He loves his drums, his skateboard and now his motorcycle. His loves to play act and put on music shows. He’s truly an amazing gift (and highly entertaining!).

There are many more rides in our future and many more killjoys to come, but we will always remember this day as the first time he rode off into the sunset.