A look back today, to when Aaron was 2 and Aunt Sarah gifted him a Strider bike for Christmas.
A Strider is a regular bike with no pedals. The seat is height-adjustable. The child starts out slowly, sitting on the seat and flat-footing along. Soon after, they step a little more quickly, then learn to lift their feet, one at a time.
And then one day, they can fly on that Strider. For Aaron there were memorable rides down campbround roads, rides down hills, and one day a neighborhood escape from home. A policeman came to check on the home and give him a stern lecture about riding away. Or at least, as stern as it gets to a three-year-old.
When it's time to graduate to a pedal bike, the child already knows balance and quickly learns to pedal. Aaron asked that the training wheels be taken off the first day because, you know, they just got in the way.
These days the Strider lives in my basement because no one can quite part with it. The tires are shot. It's been riden many miles.
Way up there with best Christmas gifts.
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