Learning to ride a bike
@Auntylou (4264)
Oxford, England
February 18, 2016 6:20pm CST
A good friend and I were talking about how different our children were from each other despite having the same upbringing.
She told me how her eldest had asked for and been given a bike for his birthday and had taken it into the garden to learn to ride it. He had,as is normal, fallen off, at which point he said that he didn't want a bike at all, he wasn't going to ride it!
No amount of coaxing would work and the bike lay unused. My friend could see all her son's friends riding around on their bikes and felt that her son would miss out on this healthy recreation. In the end she decided to offer him money to learn to ride it! Thus incentivised, the child persevered and learnt.
Child number two had a completely different attitude. Her first bike had had training wheels and one day she asked her mum to take them off.
Mother asked if she was sure, was she not worried about falling off. "No mum, if I fall off I will just get on again and have another go!" and she spent the afternoon trying and falling until finally she cracked it!
The first child was unused to failure, being normally very quick at picking things up and to him a failure was the end! the second child was and remains a perseverer, not afraid to fail.
Do you know of brothers and sisters who are very different from each other?
17 people like this
15 responses
@Scindhia (1906)
• India
19 Feb 16
I'm different from my younger sister. She is the more adventurous one at home always trying new things and coming up with new ideas whether they are feasible or not. I on the other hand focus only on certain things and go for it. The equation with our parents is also totally different.
2 people like this
@SIMPLYD (90721)
• Philippines
19 Feb 16
Each child has their own perception of how things should be done . And in siblings , that would manifest .
However , when it comes to learning how to bike , it was our father who persevered in teaching each and everyone of us 5 girls in how to bike . And all are persistent to learn , though in other things we differ. 
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50580)
• United States
19 Feb 16
Yes, my siblings are all very different.
1 person likes this
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
21 Feb 16
We are different too, though the similarities are clear too
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
24 Feb 16
yes , mine too. the family values of kindness and fairness are clear in both
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
21 Feb 16
I and my two brothers are all different. I plan and research before going into anything. I sometimes even make impulsive decisions. My first brother procrastinates a lot. He overthinks decision into the ground... lol My second brother he is a risk taker and bold... Carefree attitude and friendly.
And about the bike *sheepish* I don't know how to ride. *toeing the ground and shrugging*
lol Actually I am balance impaired on my feet so it was a hazard for me to ride a bike... lol I leaped over to a car directly....
1 person likes this
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
24 Feb 16
@Daljinder Yes I think that if you have balance problems, you and a bike would not get on !
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
22 Feb 16
@Auntylou There was a time when I badly wanted to learn riding and tried but couldn't manage it. Balancing is out for me completely. Now the bike and I have reached an understanding. We studiously ignore each other... And life keeps on... 
1 person likes this
@allknowing (137553)
• India
19 Feb 16
Of the six living none of us are the same.
1 person likes this
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
19 Feb 16
Mine too! They look a bit alike,but their ways are very different
@LadyDuck (471969)
• Switzerland
19 Feb 16
My brother and I are very different, he did not care to fall and make mistakes. I was extremely careful and I did not want to use things that I felt "dangerous" for me. I know how to ride a bike, because one of my friend taught me to ride when I was already 16. I never trusted all the others after my brother let my fall.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
19 Feb 16
Yes all four of us were quite different. My eldest THOUGHT he was best at everything, I was very fastidious and persevered until it was perfect, My sister was very tomboyish and sporty and my younger brother would work things out eventually. It is a good job each of us are very different because we all approach things in different ways.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341743)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Feb 16
I have heard it said that those who do really well at school in the early years sometimes struggle at college or university as things have always come so easily to them that it is a shock when concepts or whatever suddenly become harder. Those who have always had to work a bit harder don't really notice anything different.
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
19 Feb 16
My oldest learned that way. Fall off, get up and try again until she got it.
1 person likes this
