Bike riding with my daughter is time well spent | THE MOM STOP

I was a certain age, maybe around 10 or 11, when riding my bike around my neighborhood was a breath of newfound freedom — a moment to myself when I didn’t have to be watched by my parents or grandparents, or a babysitter, but when I got to be free and explore.

That is, until my sister, who is 3.5 years younger, decided she wanted to follow me around while riding our bikes, something that irked me so much I quickly ended my exploration. But I loved riding, standing up on the pedals or balancing with my arms out. My mom would sometimes take us on longer bike rides, on the Natchez Trace or while camping in a state park.

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But beyond middle school, my interest in biking waned, and it was only until my kids began to ride that I decided to buy a bike for myself.

Initially, we rode in our old neighborhood with our young kids. Then, during the early days of the pandemic, we’d take bike rides to campus at The University of Alabama to ride around the vacant Quad, or take the bikes through the drive-thru at Starbucks.

Eventually, much like I lost interest in biking once I became a teenager, my oldest child’s interest also waned. Years have passed, and my old bike has hung on the wall of our garage, gathering dust, its tires long deflated.

Recently, I wrote of how our youngest child, our third-grader, finally learned to ride a bike on her own. And for her ninth birthday last month, we gave her a new bike, which is aqua blue with a matching basket. Suddenly, she wants to explore.

She started with bike rides with her older brother, and one day, she went out on her own. While I encourage the freedom and know our neighborhood is safe, the idea of her riding on the street unaccompanied made me nervous. And so, I got out my old bike. I dusted it off, re-inflated the tires, and decided to go out for a ride with her the next time.

The first ride was quick, down the street and back, as our daughter got more comfortable riding her new bike. The next evening, we decided to go a new route, which meant she discovered the thrill of riding downhill. And by the third night, my youngest daughter was asking me to go riding with her.

At least a few times a week, we ride our bikes in the late afternoon or early evening, even on weeknights after work. We take our usual route. While riding, we talk about what happened at school, or her friends, or anything at all.

This week, while on her bike, she tried new tricks. She showed me how she could stick out her legs while riding, I showed her how I could ride without touching the handlebars, or while standing on the pedals.

And suddenly, I started noticing that our rides are getting longer. We try new routes, or take the same roads multiple times. But riding our bikes together, just the two of us, has meant we are talking more, laughing more, and I’m getting to know my daughter as the funny, creative, and very smart big kid she’s becoming.

While I once relished in my solo bike rides during my childhood, I’m so glad that when she rides, she usually asks if I’m ready to go, too.

Lydia Seabol Avant writes The Mom Stop for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at momstopcolumn@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Increasing family time is as easy as riding a bicycle | THE MOM STOP