Cindy tells me that she asked Gracie out of the blue if she wanted to try riding her bike without training wheels. She responded, like she always does with great, fearless enthusiasm, "OK!" Cindy took off her training wheels and said she was going back inside to change James' diaper but would come back to help her in just a few minutes. Our brave little soul Gracie got on her bike and was riding up and down the driveway. Cindy was very impressed that she had no reservations about doing it all by herself--little Miss Independent! Our boys would have NEVER tried to get on their bikes without training wheels for the first time without us holding them. And there she went--fearless and confident.
A few days later I asked Gracie if she wanted to ride her bike all the way to the pond. Same fearless response--"OK!" I was so proud of how well she rode up and down the hills and stayed, for the most part, on the side of the road. The final test was the fast track of the Alabama downhill. This is the street on the other side of the pond that the kids like to go down because it's really fast, especially on scooters. I really didn't think she was ready for it so I started to turn around and she said, "Come on, Dad. Let's go down the hill!" My response was "Baby, I think that might be a little too dangerous." Gracie boldly said, "But I can do it!" And before I knew it she was speeding down the hill. When most people ride down the hill they stop pedaling because they're going down so fast the pedaling can't keep up with the speed. Not Gracie--she was pedaling harder and shooting down the hill like a bullet out of a gun. I'm thinking the worst--no helmet, she doesn't know how to brake, etc. And just as she gets to the end of the road she brakes her bike like she's been doing it for 20 years. What a daredevil! I wonder how Amelia Earhart's parents must have felt when they realized just how fearless their daughter was.
I guess it would be foolish of us to try and break her spirit. You go, girl!
No comments:
Post a Comment