http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543 &nbsp;&nbsp; My son Armand hasn't spent as much time riding a bike as I did as a kid &mdash; but times are different, and so is our lifestyle. However, this summer he spent two weeks with his grandparents who excitedly decided to teach Armand how to ride a two-wheeler. It was a great plan as far as Armand was concerned &mdash; at 7, anything related to &quot;big kids&quot; is a winner in his book! When the big day arrived, he donned helmet and shin guards and his Oma took him out for his first session. It was hard! Perserverence isn't exactly the hallmark of the young, let alone the younger generation, so Armand will be working on his biking skills some more in the future. In fact, as soon as we can get his bike from his grandparents (and when I get a bike for myself), I forsee many lovely fall Saturdays and Sundays spent exploring the fantastic bike paths around town. &nbsp;&nbsp; My son Armand hasn't spent as much time riding a bike as I did as a kid &mdash; but times are different, and so is our lifestyle. However, this summer he spent two weeks with his grandparents who excitedly decided to teach Armand how to ride a two-wheeler. It was a great plan as far as Armand was concerned &mdash; at 7, anything related to &quot;big kids&quot; is a winner in his book! When the big day arrived, he donned helmet and shin guards and his Oma took him out for his first session. It was hard! Perserverence isn't exactly the hallmark of the young, let alone the younger generation, so Armand will be working on his biking skills some more in the future. In fact, as soon as we can get his bike from his grandparents (and when I get a bike for myself), I forsee many lovely fall Saturdays and Sundays spent exploring the fantastic bike paths around town. en-us Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:31:54 PDT <p>i love our bike paths in town!  i was just contemplating this very subject...about how i will encourage my son to persevere and learn to ride his bike without training wheels.  i thought he might be ready, some of his friends already do it.  but the barrage of "i can't" comments seems frustrating.  you're right, many young are crippled without knowing how to persevere. </p> <p>i have found, however, that i make the tough requests a prerequisite to feeding my son.  he seems to exert himself a bit more when he knows dinner is on the line. </p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290271 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290271 <p>i love our bike paths in town!  i was just contemplating this very subject...about how i will encourage my son to persevere and learn to ride his bike without training wheels.  i thought he might be ready, some of his friends already do it.  but the barrage of "i can't" comments seems frustrating.  you're right, many young are crippled without knowing how to persevere. </p> <p>i have found, however, that i make the tough requests a prerequisite to feeding my son.  he seems to exert himself a bit more when he knows dinner is on the line. </p> <p>These photos are priceless!  How did you get those name for his grandparents?  Is it a family tradition or merely come by way of accident?  I love grandparents.</p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290479 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290479 <p>These photos are priceless!  How did you get those name for his grandparents?  Is it a family tradition or merely come by way of accident?  I love grandparents.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"> heatherijames - I <i>love </i>your motivational methods! I'm gonna use that!</p> <p style="text-align: justify">sunnica - glad you like the photos! I'm lucky my parents took so many because I couldn't be there. "Oma" and "Opa" are "Granny" and "Gramps" in German. Since we're part German, my mom became Oma and "Boppa" just kind of stuck for my dad. =)</p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290605 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/dweaver3/31543/#c_290605 <p style="text-align: justify"> heatherijames - I <i>love </i>your motivational methods! I'm gonna use that!</p> <p style="text-align: justify">sunnica - glad you like the photos! I'm lucky my parents took so many because I couldn't be there. "Oma" and "Opa" are "Granny" and "Gramps" in German. Since we're part German, my mom became Oma and "Boppa" just kind of stuck for my dad. =)</p>