At some point, every new parent has hobbled down a shopping aisle, delirious from sleep deprivation, shirt stained with spit-up and mushed peas, half-heartedly trying to comfort their screaming baby while simultaneously checking their shopping list, when a complete stranger stops them and says something like, “enjoy them while they’re young, time flies.”
In that particular moment, you probably had a hard time believing that one day your crying baby was going to learn to ride a balance bike, then a pedal bike, and eventually get behind the wheel of a car and drive off into the big, wide world.
There are so many “firsts” to witness as a parent, from first words to the first day of kindergarten. One of childhood’s most momentous firsts is the FIRST BIKE. A bike marks the beginning of countless lasting childhood memories made. There will be first scrapes and bumps, first strides, first failures and successes, and their first taste of freedom as they start to sail through park paths and neighborhoods. There will be first attempts at balancing with no feet and riding off jumps. There will be rides with siblings and parents, new places explored, and pit stops to collect rocks, flowers, and bugs. There will be lots of laughs and giggles, as well as break downs and temper tantrums. The memories collected on those two wheels are too many to count, and time WILL fly, and their adoring toddler eyes and wide smiles will soon turn to teenage eye rolls and slammed doors.