Noah Wheelie Likes Biking
When I was pregnant with Noah, we dreamed about all the fun outdoor adventures we would take him and our gaggle of other kids on. Mountain biking was definitely on the short list. After Noah’s diagnosis it felt as though that dream had been dashed. We felt like we wouldn’t be able to do the outdoor activities we so loved, especially mountain biking. Someone wise told me, “even without Down’s Syndrome, your child may not want to mountain bike so why are you putting pressure on this idea?” What an interesting thought that hadn’t crossed my mind. It definitely eased some of the pressure but I still felt compelled to attempt biking with my kids and determined to maintain *some* semblance of normalcy in my life with kids. I know in the future if he says he doesn’t want to go, I’m never going to make him.
Noah has always loved movement, loved being on the go and loved being outdoors so last summer we were determined to figure out a way to go on family rides together. Enter the Kids Ride Shotgun. This picture is the first time we used it in our front yard. He is clearly ecstatic! He was smacking the bike, bouncing up and down and pumping his arms up and down in rhythm.
As soon as we took him off, we would wander back over to the bike with such curiosity. We did end up using a strap around his legs to keep him on the bike. Since he has lower tone, we didn’t know how well he would do sitting on the seat alone. He did fantastic! We put Lou in the Thule Yepp, Noah on the shotgun and we were off!! I was definitely nervous about how it was going to go with Noah on the bike. Riding a bike takes a lot of core strength and he doesn’t quite look like a GQ model. We first rode a mellow trail at a park near our house. Noah was overcome with joy and excitement! I feel like he experienced a sense of freedom he hadn’t otherwise known existed. Well, that’s how I feel riding my bike so I’ll speak for Noah. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen kid with Down’s Syndrome get excited, but it’s darn adorable and makes you feel like you’d go to the ends of the earth to maintain the excitement. During his first ride he was pumping his arms up and down on the handle bars just begging Josh to make the bike go faster. He would investigate the brake wires while laying across the whole handlebar and cackle when we went down-hill. When we would stop to take a break, he would rip over to the bike and spin the wheels or knock his knuckles on the bike, checking its structural integrity.
Wearing a helmet was an adjustment. The first time he put it on, he pulled up on it so hard he left a mark on his chin from the strap. Then the helmet fell over his face. Honestly it was easier than the life vest. Now that we have been biking with him multiple times, he understands the helmet needs to stay on and the helmet means we are going to do something fun.
Of course, it hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies. Feeling confident, we took him on a short ride in Spokane whilst road tripping to visit Josh’s brother. He was so tired and over it by the end he was slumped over the handle bars crying. He then had no control over his body and was a spaghetti noodle. Josh was trying to hold him on and get down as quickly and safely as possible but he ended up with a little chin scratch from resting his face on the handle bars. We have also has him get too tired and start to slip off the side of the bike, resulting in one of us carrying him down. Taking cues from our kids when they are done enjoying an activity has taken us a long time to learn. Well, we have only been parents for three years…but it’s taken us that long. We are still notorious for pushing it to the edge and subsequently finding it, usually resulting in mass meltdowns (including us). Falling off the edge, looking up at what could have been a great family activity. Watching as everything plummets to the ground, smashing into a million tiny pieces. You vow to never do it again. Pan to the next weekend and sure enough, we’re out there like crazy people doing it again. After that ride in Spokane we have definitly been taking shorter rides and been more diligent about calling it at the first signs of displeasure. It’s not worth it to ruin a fun time or to ruin an activity they love. It’s a fine balance of doing the activity, stopping before it becomes not fun, making it fun for kids, getting back on the horse when you have had a bad experience, evaluating if it was worth it to do said activity, assessing your metal stability….. In the end, I genuinely want my kids to find activities that make them happy, whether or not they line up with my idea of a good time. Right now we are just trying to expose them to the things we think are “fun” (other people may disagree on our idea of fun.) They may get sick of mountain bike riding and never own a bike, but right now they seem to be enjoying most of the outdoor lifestyle. Who knows, in the future Noah may be doing wheelies down the driveway or biking his was across America.
