Rainy Season Has Begun

It's that time of year again, and I'm not too excited about it... the forecast is rain, rain, and more rain.  I know I should be grateful that we never have a drought like many other parts of the world.  I'll gladly take a Corvallis drizzle over a Midwestern blizzard... but still, I could use another month of sunshine.

No Training Wheels

One of my favorite purchases for my kids has been a balance bike, which is basically a bike without pedals.  Instead of starting a kid on a pedal bike with training wheels, they learn to balance and coast first, then pedal later.  My 2nd kid and first boy, Ivan, was crazy fast on a little 4-wheel toy at 20 months, so we bought him a cheap balance bike at Walmart for $35.  In a few days he could roll down the driveway with his feet up.  A few weeks later he was rolling around a bmx track, then the skatepark, dropping in on the biggest ramps.

He's always been a little guy, barely even making the graph for height & weight percentile.  Finally when at 2 years 7 months he could touch the ground on a 12" bmx bike after cutting the seat post down.  We splurged on a Specialized Hotrock and within days he could pedal everywhere.

Now Max, kid #3 and 2 years 8 months, is on a balance bike and getting closer to inheriting the little Hotrock.  We had a nice sunny 65 degree day and hit the ramps today.  Ivan has moved up to a 16" Hotrock we found at a garage sale.  Watching them tear it up at the park is one of my greatest joys as a parent.

My boy Ivan

My middle child Ivan.  He has rocket fuel for blood.  He is completely invincible.  He has crashed his bike and motorcycle countless times, and gets back on without a word.  He never walks- only runs.  On the day he turned 6 months old, he pulled himself up to standing.  At 9 months he didn't learn to walk, he learned to run.  At 2 years 7 months he could ride a bike without training wheels, and drop in off the biggest ramps at the skate park.  He usually only wears shorts, no matter how cold it is.  Now at age 5, he says he wants to be an Astronaut and a Rock Star.  Challenge him to a push-up contest... you will lose!

I'd like to be able to take credit for how bad ass he is, but in reality he was born that way.  He came out kicking and screaming and never calmed down.  So I can't offer any advice on how to turn a kid into a tough guy, but I can say this: if you have a wild kid, embrace it.  Channel it into something productive and fun.

It would break my heart to send him off to a public school where he'd be expected to sit quietly in a desk, raise his hand to speak, stand in lines, and get minimal amount of physical activity.  Ivan is very quick to learn reading and math, but it has to be interactive and engaging.  For every minute spent on a worksheet, he spends an hour playing Legos or making a complex train track system.  The result is a boy who can do math in his head, without counting fingers and toes, and apply it to building his own toys.  

Here's a video of him at age 2 riding...