Happy Kids

I wanted to capture this one memory really quick before it escapes me.

Peter is just over 4 1/2 years old. He learned to ride his bike a few months ago, but with summer time being so hot in Modesto, he hardly practiced riding his bike. As a result, he still looks like a wobbly little deer that is learning how to walk. He veers around, can't really hold a straight line, and doesn't really know how to start. When he initially learned to ride, he could do those things okay, but without the practice, he can barely stay upright.

The other challenge with Peter is that he doesn't like being pushed into doing things that he's uncomfortable with. Obviously that's true of just about anyone, but he resists it more so, to the point where it's almost not even worth trying to push him into something new at all because he'll be totally resistant to the idea.

That setup all brings us to yesterday. It was General Conference weekend and we finished watching the last session. We typically go on Sunday walks and with the weather turning to fall, it was a nice day to head back out. I prodded Peter into riding his bike and he, of course, was hesitant. I let him ride on the street and jogged with him the whole way to make sure he didn't veer into traffic and that seemed to help him feel more comfortable. This ended up being just what he needed because he figured out how to start himself again on his own, and he was riding like a champ by the time we were done with the walk.

Now for the memory: Amy stayed with Jane and Peter as they rode their bikes home. I was lagging behind because Ali kept wanting to walk. As we got to the house, Peter stayed outside riding up and down our little cul-de-sac. Not only that, the kid was riding his laps while happily belting out all his primary songs from church. It was the cutest thing in the world to see him so happy and gleefully riding his bike, knowing he figured it out, and feeling just so proud of himself that he did so. It was such a highlight for me, one of many that makes me so happy to be a dad.