Wiss likes to ride his bicycle, he likes to ride his bike!

One of the things I find most fascinating about being a parent is discovering what your child's personality is like. There is the age-old debate about Nature Vs Nurture, and although of course, the way you bring your child up does have a huge bearing on shaping them (for better or worse) but each child does have their own traits within them from birth.

Wiss has always been a cautious boy. He prefers to have a hand to hold when he climbs or jumps for instance, and he will look for approval that something is safe before he does it. That's all ok, that's just who he is right now but I am keen to build his confidence as much as I can.

Enter the Balance Bike! Admittedly, it took a while for Wiss to get the hang of the balance bike, and we traded in the heavy wooden one for a light Micro version*, but once he had it there's been no stopping him. He loves his bike and will ride it at every opportunity - which has it's benefits for me too as we can get from A-B so much quicker now, but it's more than just that.

 

It is so wonderful to see him empowered by his own body and the pure joy he gets from moving at speed. I am filled with pride when I see him free-wheeling with his feet tucked up; it is wonderful to see my child doing something completely independently. Of course, he's had the occasional tumble (and maybe the concrete skate park wasn't such a good idea, Mama) but to see Wiss pick himself up and get back on the bike, after a cuddle of course, was also a great achievement.

I know there will be many more accomplishments and triumphs as Wiss grows up and I am looking forward to seeing them. For now, it is enough for me to simply recognise and record this moment - and include these fab videos. (I'm ashamed to admit mine is the slightly panicked voice at the end!)

 

 

*Bought from eBay for only £40 so it's worth looking around for bargains.