Can you think of anymore? Life lessons we can take from teaching our children to ride

[MumofTwo2020]

Today I taught my daughter to ride a bike and it got me thinking about the LIFE LESSONS we can all take from learning to ride a bike 🚲

These are the strategies I taught My daughter for riding (but don’t you think they translate to every day life???)

1. First you’ve got to keep your head up and look forward (we all know how important it is to have a VISION for our future) ☀️

2. You’ve got to keep your legs moving. You’ve got to take ACTION. (You can have the best vision in the world 🌍 but if you don’t do anything, you don’t go anywhere)

3. PRACTICE (every master was once a disaster!) We have to practice things we want to get good at! 🚲

4. BELIEVE. See yourself riding in your mind - My daughter woke up after having a practice last night and told us that she dreamt she was a cycling champion! (you’ve got to believe you can do it) 🥋

5. Have a COACH to teach you the strategy. My daughter had my dad show her, and both me and My husband m (Why start from scratch? Make the most of the expertise around you. Olympic athletes hire coaches, everyone needs a coach)🏅

6. DETERMINATION. My daughter hasn’t stopped asking to practice on her bike since she got up this morning. She was determined to learn. Every time she mastered one bit, she asked to learn the next. First riding, then turning, then breaking etc 💪🏻

7. PERSEVERANCE. Keep going. Doesn’t matter how many times you fail or hit the post (as My daughter did several times!) 🏃‍♀️

Any other life lessons you think I’ve missed? I’d love your thoughts?

[Taylor-RO]

Hi @MumofTwo2020, thanks for sharing that with us all. What a beautiful example of how an everyday thing can translate into a life lesson. Honestly, I think you have done such a perfect job and have a lot of them covered.. Another aspect you could include - TRUST those around you to lead the way when you are unsure. I remember that learning to ride a bike can be quite scary as you feel as though you may hurt yourself - but someone was always there to help. You could also include - receive SUPPORT from others when you need it. On the contrary, learning to ride a bike is exciting and we might want to do it all on our own although we may need a bit of support to get there first. Both of these build on the 'COACH' aspect you have mentioned but in a slightly different way. Awesome job, keep it coming!

[MumofTwo2020]

Thanks Taylor-RO for your kind words. And thanks for the additions they are great! Without trust it is hard to learn anything!!

[JAKGR8]

I would add. Take a break if you have to. Sometimes this can make it better.

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @MumofTwo2020 and welcome to ReachOut!

I just wanted to say how much I love your post and the lessons you have taken from teaching your daughter to ride a bike. I agree these skills can transfer to so many areas of parenting, and life in general!

@JAKGR8's suggestion: "take a break if you have to. Sometimes this can make it better"

What are your thoughts @MumofTwo2020?

[Janine-RO]

Hi @MumofTwo2020 , 

What a great post, I really related to so much of it and think it's full of so much wisdom. 

My addition is based on both the practical experience of teaching my daughter to ride a bike, and also the broader life lessons (especially if you have a kid who's prone to anxiety) - that is, BELIEVE in yourself, and don't be afraid to fail. 

My daughter used to be so uncertain and scared on the bike that she was actually much more likely to fall - in fact, she did fall once and break her arm which was pretty unfortunate! But the reason behind the fall was that she wasn't confident, so was very hesitant and lost her balance... in life, I thikn sometimes fear can hold us back from so many things and make us more likely to 'fall'. 

The thing I was proudest of, though, is that she overcame her fear of 'failing', and fear of falling, and was able to eventually get back on the bike. Definitely a great life lesson for her.  And once she was confident to give it a go again, and wasn't so paralysed by her fear of failing, she became a much safer rider. 

Love to hear everyone else's thoughts! 

[AmberP]

I am glad that I found this post! Practice and persistence is what I try to teach my children. And as it turned out, a bike is a great way to teach them how to achieve their goals. We only faced the fact that children are very impatient and want to be able to do everything at once.
Thank you for good advice!

[AmberP]

These are very good words! When I look at how my children are not afraid of difficulties, it inspires me. They are very surprised when I get upset about my work, they see no point in being sad. I think we have to learn such things.