My son learns to pedal a trike!

Using the Trike as a Scooter

Well, this post comes after almost a week of no posts - a bad cold and catching on missed work from that cold.

Today I have exciting news; my son finally learned to pedal his trike!  in less than 2 weeks, he'll be 3 years old.

He's had his trike for some time now.  The trike is about 16 years old; our former land-lady's daughter, who is now about 17, just getting ready to move out and go to university, used the trike when it was new.  Since then she passed it down through younger cousins, and children of cousins to use.  While the trike was well used when it reached us, it still works just about perfectly, except that the back wheels wobble a little, but not enough for the driver to notice.

My son's trike riding experience started with him sitting on it, and us pushing him around - a tiring activity, for us.  He then progressed to standing on the back, holding onto the handles (which are high) and using his foot to push it, using it like a scooter.  This is where he had been for the past few months, and now and then I would convince to try sitting down, and I would help him push the pedals with his legs.  About 2 weeks ago, he advanced about one wheel turn (half a meter?) and then I got busy and didn't try again for a while.

Tonight I was finally outside with him in the evening again, and I convinced him to try the trike sitting down; once he got started, he got into a rhythm using the pedals and kept going the whole length of our small block, about 50 meters.  I was delighted!  My wife was watching the neighbors' 2 year-old girl, and came running over (with the girl) to see.

Later in the evening he showed some of our friends; I had to convince him with a candy, since now and then he's kind of shy about performing in front of people.  I think I was that way as a kid.  At other times, though, he quite happy to show off.

This was an exciting day for me!