I just taught my daughter to ride without training wheels. It was exhilarating and terrifying and also really annoying, especially when she toppled over and angrily flipped her bike (with surprising Superman-like strength), stomping and air-punching like Rocky on after a bad hit at a crack pipe, telling me she was REALLY MAD that she couldn't manage to keep her balance.
However, she kept getting back on. And on. And on. And I kept giving her overly-enthusiastic words of encouragement ("OMG, you're DOING it! LOOK at you! You go girl!!"-- so embarrassing), gripping the back of her little banana seat, ensuring her equilibrium before giving her a gentle push and actually letting go, watching as she pedaled off with those impossibly little-yet-strong, mosquito bite-smattered, sun-browned legs, pumping the pedals and keeping the bike going and going.
I think the hardest part of the whole experience was actually lifting my fingers off the seat and watching, yipes, with half-lidded eyes and Botox-like frozen-bared teeth, as she flew away from me. By herself. Knowing that she could do it on her own made my mama bosom swell with pride, but it was also almost impossible to believe and it actually hurt a teeny bit. This little girl, my kangaroo-pouch buddy, was off riding a bike by HERSELF?
Yep, she was. And it was awesome. The end.
