ah... like riding a bike

an article in the NY Times talks about teaching a kid to ride a bicycle
Teaching a (City) Child to Ride a Bike
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com


well... really... it was too short an article to really get into anything except the mention of trying to ride a bicycle in the city as a child
it spent the short article touching on the difference of the city to the suburbs
the shortage of space etc.
but there was no real meat to the message

well... DC is not NYC
the alleys of DC work well in our neighborhood... my guess... NY must offer something local to those who prioritize the bicycle

riding a bicycle... learning to swim... and... you name another one
these are not only essential tasks for life
these are some of the greatest joys that a child can experience
depriving a child of these things is just bad parenting
even if your child knows how to order their favorite Ethiopian dish or enjoys going to MOMA without begging for something from the museum store

nothing beats the freedom of riding a bicycle
and there is no sensation like swimming... water is another world... a cool and refreshing world

I went to this article expecting to see something discussing the PROS and CONS of Push Bikes vs. Training Wheel Bikes
but no... the comments touched on this...
yet there is no definitive answer on what works best for children of this modern age

here is an interesting page
FREE RANGE KIDS
How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (without going nuts with worry)
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com