My mom, with a $15 garage sale purchase, single-handily won Liam’s heart, again: a bike this time, not spider-man shoes. He’s been riding the pedal-less bike (Scuut) since we bought it for him two Christmases ago, desperately wanting to transition to the big-kid milestone, the two-wheeler. We were waiting for his birthday, which unfortunately for Liam is another 5 months away. But, fortunate for Liam, he has Nina. 10 minutes after pulling the bike out of the car, he was riding, without help, down our street. He has definitely arrived into boyhood. Burke gleefully received from this transition as well, stepping up to take his place on the Scuut.
We went for our first family bike ride, without having to stop and rest Liam’s little legs (Burke still had to ride in the trailer with Blythe), where we not so quickly learned that Liam had not fully mastered braking. During the back half of the trip, where the road slopes slightly downhill, Mark and I both notice that Liam is still pedaling, rather than braking. RED FLAG. Mark and I are both yelling (as we approach a busy intersection), “Liam, hit your brakes.” When Liam failed to brake again, Mark instinctively cycled ahead, jumped off his bike, and threw himself directly in front of Liam, receiving the full blow of a downhill, pedaling, 4 year old and his not-so-light bike — ouch. But, he saved our son from catastrophe — I’m sure it won’t be the last time. Needless to say, we’re practicing braking and emergency curb crashing before our next ride.
Comments
Patti: I completely agree about Lloyd and the purchase of the soundtrack. It’s a classic. About the Scuut, I think it’s success completely depends on the courage/fearlessness and age of the child. Liam for instance, was exactly the same age as Burke when we gave him the bike (just over 3). He walked slowly on it the first 2-3 days, then realized he could run and did. He loved it, having little fear; he would simply run and lift his legs, quickly teaching him how balance on a two-wheeler (the point of the bike). Burke, on the other hand, is much more cautious. So, he’s taking it much slower, content to walk on the bike. He may always be content going at this pace, which is fine for him and me, or he may just need a little more time to feel comfortable riding while running. So, we may end up doing training wheels with him. Blythe can’t wait to ride it.
All to say, it depends on Harper’s disposition. Do you think she would (at her age right now) be daring enough to run and lift her legs? Would she be content to move at a slower pace than she could on her tricycle? You may try and contact the company to see what their return policy is. Will they let you try it out for week to see if she likes it?
I really like them, and they’re made for up to a 5 year old. the good thing for you, Harper’s your first, so, if she doesn’t like it, there’s a good chance Hudson will.
“Say Anything”. Boy, did I love that Lloyd Dobler and his geeky kick boxing self. I think it was the first movie soundtrack I ever bought. Sorry about your blog soundtrack, incidentally, but it did seem to help the blog load a little quicker.
I’ve been debating the skuut for about a year now after seeing something similar on a Netherlands segment on “Sesame Street”. Harper really likes to pedal her tricycle though–do you think she’d like the skuut more?
way to go nina! good job liam! and awesome fathering, mark. :)
They are loving their bikes, Kristyn. It’s the truth when I say, “it won’t be long before Preston will be riding a two wheeler. Enjoy the baby stage.”
priceless! Oh the joys of boys and their bikes! Love the pics, they look so happy on their new rides!