*written in Aug, 2013*
A few weeks ago as I was folding clothes in the laundry room Andre bolted through the back door,
“Mom, hurry~ you’ve got to see this, quick!!”
I asked him for more details as to what was going on… I mean do I need to call Dakota out with his pellet gun? Should I bring a towel for a tourniquet? Or do I just need to get the camera? All of which would be totally normal for us on any given day. *sigh*
“No Mom, just come to the porch, fast~ Madelyn’s not a baby anymore!”
WHAT??
As I turned to look out the french doors, the look on my daughters glowing face said it all. Andre had decided that Madelyn, at the newest age of 6, was far to old for training wheels. So without hesitation, or permission, he disconnected the baby wheels and told Madelyn not to worry that he’d be there to help her balance. As it turned out she didn’t need the training wheels or Andre’s help… she pedaled off as if it was all she had ever known, much to Andre’s disappointment!! And that was that. She had officially crossed over to the other side. No longer a baby~ now officially a bike rider on a big girl bike.
We celebrated as anyone would expect~ pictures and video’s, calling extended family to announce the occasion, giggles over the new found freedom. But in the midst of the cheers and pomp and circumstance, I glanced over to the corner of the deck and noticed the discarded training wheels pushed off into the background, never to be thought of again. A part of me ached.
I gathered the seemingly unnecessary training wheels with their coordinating nuts and bolts, carried them inside and placed them carefully on my entertainment center~ though the kids no longer saw value there, I did. For me they are a simple reminder, encouragement for the days when I feel as if I’m losing my way as their Mother. The truth is that all of my children (from ages 6-16) still need the training wheels of discipline, guidance, boundaries, and support…they just look different for each of them. It’s one of the trickiest parts I’ve found in parenting; knowing how to guide my children through the various stages of development when they are all so very different and spaced out in ages. Not to mention trying to do it all at once and alone. Often it resembles a juggling act for "the greatest show on earth"... Barnum and Bailey has nothin' on us!
*written Feb 2015*
Since that day almost two years ago, these training wheels still sit in a wire basket in my living room. As I’ve reminisced the many miles these wheels have traveled, I’ve laughed myself silly and I’ve cried the kind of tears that only a Mother would know. These training wheels have served my 4 children well over the years but their value to me recently has been far greater than what can possibly be measured in miles on a bike.
When parenting feels overwhelming, that would be often, and I'm struggling to keep things in perspective I think about the "training wheels": guidance for the tricky terrain of life, support for the unexpected, balance for the high’s and low’s, confidence for the lack of experience, and direction towards the One who I pray they will follow!
If I get anything right, let it be those things!
As parents we know that all too soon our children will be independently steering the handlebars through their own journey~ It is my constant prayer that the training wheels of their childhood will serve them well and that God's grace will cover what I'm sure to miss!
