Another Milestone

The other day we reached another milestone in our family. My five-year-old daughter is finally riding her two-wheeler.

I say finally because my son was riding his little blue bike on two wheels at the ripe old age of three. For him it was all about speed. He realized that to achieve maximum velocity he would have to reduce overall friction. (Ok, he didn't quite get the idea of friction at three - but he was all about the speed). He achieved top speed by riding with his training wheels never touching the ground. When I saw this, I asked him if he wanted me to take them off. Realizing that this would enable him to race down to the end of the street and back even faster, and giving no thought for his personal safety, he said, "Yes!" The rest is history.

Not so for my daughter. I've been asking her since she was three if she wanted to try riding without the training wheels. Her answer, always, was a resounding "No!" For her, training wheels represented security and as long as they were firmly attached to her rear wheel, she was as happy as a lark. Even with her big brother doing circles around her in the street, she would just cruise along with her oversized helmet hanging down over her eyes and a big smile on her face.

I had pretty much given up asking her about the training wheels until the other day. On a whim, I asked her if she wanted me to take them off. Much to my surprise she said, "OK". As I was taking the wheels off and as I put her on the seat for the first spin I continuously assured her that I would hang on to her seat to get her started, that I would be right by her side, and that I would not let her fall. Once she got going and I let go, she never looked back. It was as if she had been riding that way for years.

What was interesting to me was the difference in motivation between my two children. My son just wanted to go. My daughter wanted to be safe. My son was ready to take on the world at age three regardless of the potential consequences. My daughter had no desire to get away from what kept her safe for the sake of being a “big girl” or keeping up with her brother.

My prayer is that God will enable me to instill in my son a zeal for truth as strong as his need for speed and that He will use my son to take on the world with the good news regardless of the potential consequences. In addition, I pray that He will keep my daughter free from the need to violate her convictions in order to perform for others and that she will always cling to the safety she finds in her Savior.