Adding to the Ranks of Bike Commuters

Ever since we removed his training wheels, our son has renounced riding his bike. For the past two years, he's eschewed getting on his bicycle at all. We've managed to occasionally use leverage to coerce him into riding up and down the street. But even then, we would only manage a few laps before he would refuse to continue. It's been a bummer that Ginger and I, both die-hard bicycling advocates, haven't been able to convince our son of the joys of cycling.

All that changed last weekend. Ginger talked our son into riding with her to his school, which is a trip of a little over a mile. When they left, the boy was looking a bit apprehensive, but he gathered his courage and set off with his mom. When they returned from their ride a short while later, he was absolutely elated. It went so well, we easily talked him into riding again the next day. So we loaded up his sister into the baby carrier and the whole family made the same trip. Again, he had a blast and was clearly becoming more confident handling his bike. That evening, he asked if he could ride his bike to summer day camp the next morning. And just like that - he was a bicycle commuter.

So far this week my son has ridden his bike to day camp at the YMCA every day. He wakes up stoked to ride...even wears his helmet around the house after he gets home. Ginger and I can't believe how quickly he turned around, from hating riding his bike to loving it. We hope it sticks and becomes a life-long love of cycling. But in the meantime, we're just ecstatic that our 7-year-old is now a bike commuter.