My Little Mountain Biker

I do my very best to encourage my kids to be active every day. This makes birthdays and Christmas a breeze, my husband and I pick out gifts that support their favourite activities & outdoor play.

Flash back, a year ago – we bought Mr J a run bike for his birthday. From the parenting stand point, a bike that will teach your children balance and stability seemed like a no brainer. Plus, we didn’t have to push a tricycle around the neighbourhood with a sawed off hockey stick!

He loved it. I mean LOVED it.
I thought he was going to sleep with the bike. He got on, rode, and had a huge grin on his face. When we told him it was time to come in, he cried.

When we went on walks, he asked politely to ride his bike. I said yes. He rode faithfully in every season – winter, spring and fall.

This year, we enrolled him in a program called SprocKids and put on by our local Mountain Bike club. (Did I mention we live in Alberta’s mountain bike mecca with a free 37 acre park?). As you can imagine, my little mountain biker took right to it – and on the first night, he was tackling skills park object like this:

But my mountain biker wasn’t done. He spied my bike in the shed, and he called me out. “Mommy, will you go biking with me?”.  I was floored. I hadn’t biked since high school, and my old Raleigh is from circa 1993. It’s not about the gear I told myself as I tuned up & inflated the tires on my 21 year old bike. I loaded up the bikes into my husband’s truck and drove over to the Bike Park with his new 3rd birthday Camelbak in hand.

I was richly rewarded for my efforts.

I participated in an activity with my child. One where I didn’t have to do all the work – pushing or carrying. One he loved and wanted to delightedly tell me about every trail, every move. It was revelation. We can actually now participate in recreation TOGETHER. Not just Parent & Tot, we’re at the independent stage, the just like mom stage.

We guided him down the path to become a little mountain biker, now he’s ripping up the trails and inspiring us to be active too. After our little ride, I was inspired – inspired to get back on my bike after it’s absence. I missed it, and I didn’t even realize it until I started to participate again. And what they say is true  – you don’t forget how.