Like Riding a Bike

For those that get most of your family news via Facebook (and that's most, if not all of you), you know that this weekend, Kieran finally mastered the 2 wheel bike.

He knew how to ride with training wheels when he was about 4 or so, but last summer we got him a bike without training wheels. He was pretty frustrated with it and several weekends were either too hot to go out or I was with both kids so could not help him learn.

Fast forward to this year, where we now know he needs to learn to balance first, then work on pedaling. He's been taking his bike out about one weekend each month (at most) and riding down some small hills in the park. I was watching him on Saturday and realized he really has the balancing thing down.

"Hey Kieran," I call out. "Try pedaling next time you go down."

He looks a bit surprised, but when he brings his bike back up the hill, I tell him how he knows how to balance, it's now time for him to try pedalling. I told him that he should wait until he's about halfway down the hill. And he does. And he takes off like a shot.

That was all it took. He's been on his bike ever since. Asking each morning when we got up this weekend if he could go ride.

Unforutnately, Ken was out most of the weekend at a Kendo tournament and did not get to see Kieran's first few times around. When Ken finally got back on Monday, Kieran was more than happy to ride around and show Ken what he learned.

Also unfortunately, like riding a bike, Kieran's temper flared up on Friday. He got on role model with his teacher, even though he missed Fun Friday activity (I did not realize he had 2 homework books to check each night and we missed his spelling homework). So he was already grumpy when he went over to Fitness Fun and Games. While there, one of his friends made fun of him the two of them traded words and then Kieran pushed him. For that, Kieran was sent back inside. When that happened, he called the teacher a "dick". He felt his punishment was far worse than his crime.

He's been reprimanded by us, and by Fitness Fun and Games. I/Ken also has to talk with the director as the teacher told Kieran that he would not be able to come back (i.e. he was getting kicked out) but did not tell me or Ken this. I'm pretty pissed this teacher would basically threaten my kid like that. Don't get me wrong, Kieran's got to respect people in charge (he doesn't, not even me sometimes) and calling this guy names is not acceptable in my book - ever. That does not give this guy the right to tell Kieran he can't come back. If that's going to happen, they need to tell me & Ken FIRST and let us decide what to do from there. I did let Kieran know that behavior of this kind will not be tolerated and that it can lead to him being kicked out of the program. He gets that he made some bad choices and will work towards a better resolution.

I've also decided that I need to communicate better with him and am going to get the "How to talk so your children will listen..." book as well as look at others along those lines. I may also try to get more books for him on respect. His intellect gets him into trouble as he thinks himself equal to the adults and can't understand why what he believes to be true isn't the way of the world.

Also like riding a bike, we've moved Amelia over to Goddard School (where Kieran went). Hopefully only for one year and then to Kieran's school for PreK. It's her first day there and I'll have to get used to the many differences of this school from her previous daycare as well as the difference of this school from Kieran's school.

OK that's enough for now. Love to all, blog again eventually.