Dean and the Bike... or is that Dean and the Bikes?


this weekend past I heard something that I am not familiar with...
Dean asked to go mountain biking

it pleased me...
not just that Dean asked to go mountain biking
but that Dean took an active roll in trying to make plans for the weekend
in this era of the "hover parent" most activities are scripted by the parents

kids do not play pick up games
kids are taken to practices and play dates

it is a weird time for a kid
children learn to tie their shoes at a later age because parents are so quick to do things for them
this is a metaphor for so much
parents are over involved

so many parents... rather than teaching their children to do things for themselves
the parents just do them
yes... it is easier to have the parent "just do it"
but that is not the job of the parent

parents are not supposed to be servants to their children
parents are supposed to teach their children to be able to do things for themselves

and well
this is going to make things tough for the kids in the future

but there is hope...


oddly enough... there are things that will sort themselves out


just as Dean asked to go mountain biking... Dean also took it upon himself to go onto YOUTUBE and search "how to do a bunny hop"
and well...
in a short 15 minute session Dean was able to bunny hop a pile of small sticks on his mountain bike with flat pedals

that is fantastic!
Dean needs to go beyond his land dwelling father's style of "keep the rubber on the ground" style of riding
Clydesdales do not fly!

actually... my youth lacked a BMX bike or any bike worthy of jumps and such
so I lack the background to have these skills as an adult
that said... a local skills park could help to correct this deficiency 
practice... practice... practice
I do not practice these skills... which is why I lack these skills

so... Dean asked to go mountain biking last weekend
but that did not happen
it rained Friday night... which prevented us from mountain biking on Saturday
but instead... Dean and I went for a 20 mile bike ride

DEAN ROCKED IT!
we did a 20 plus mile loop where we only stopped for stop signs an red lights
and there were not too many of those
as our loop was on a road closed to traffic then a separated multi-use bike path

at the end of the ride Dean was fresh... and feeling like he could have ridden longer

it was good to get Dean out on his seldom ridden cyclocross bike
this is primarily because of Dean's love for his single speed and most of our Urban Rides are done as a family with his younger brother Grant
so... rocking down stairs and such is more fun on the fat tire bike than the skinny tire bike


the weekend is approaching fast...
what does the weekend hold?

oh yes... Saturday Soccer!
hard to go mountain biking with one kid having a soccer game in the early AM
then another kid having a game in the late afternoon
mountain biking can be an all day affair
an event that often leaves the boys wrecked

which means.... if we plan to go biking
it would have to happen on Sunday