Little Legs that Pedal

Let me lay a little background out for you. I hurt my back on Monday morning carrying my almost 4 year old in one arm and the school clothes for both kids in the other. Halfway down the stairs there was this snap in my back and then excruciating pain... I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I decided to keep a little active to help these muscles recover from my injury ... Fast forward to yesterday afternoon...

We dropped little Miss off at school, came back home and it was such a nice day and my back was aching from too much sitting in the morning, so I decided to take a walk with little Man on his bicycle.

Little Man was asleep in his carseat when we got home, but the minute I said "we should take a walk", he was on his feet and running for his bike. Oh, he loves his bike...

Helmet on, and bike in place, we were ready to go. We headed down a street next to us, which is a dead end. At the very end is a walk-path bridge that goes over the river, then you can go down that street and you'll be in the center of the village by the city hall. Little Man wanted to go to the parking area of the city hall because he enjoyed it there on the weekend when we all went that way.

We get to the bridge over the river, I allow Little Man to go across to the other side and then told him we were turning around because there's too much traffic in the village during the day. Little Man wanted to go into the village and swiftly turned his bike around and went over the bridge again in the opposite direction we were supposed to be going. OK so I let him, then guided him back in the direction to home. To say he was not happy is an understatement. I held onto his jacket so he couldn't turn around and go over the bridge again and guided him onto the dead end street in the original direction we came, towards home. This made him madder.

There was a little bit of a hill and he started pedalling his bike FAST. At first I just let him go because he's never taken off on me before, but there he went, faster and faster until he was out of my reach. I yelled for him to wait for me but those little legs were pedalling faster than I'd ever seen them pedal! I yelled for him to STOP! again and he just kept on pedalling right down the middle of the street and it was clear he wasn't going to stop. This time I SCREAMED for him to "STOP RIGHT NOW" and started running behind him. I'm laughing right now because I couldn't catch him and all I could see are those legs pedalling faster than I've ever seen him go on his bike. Where he got that superhuman pedal power? It must have been pure determination to leave me in the dust that drove him. He just kept going and I chased behind and yelled for him to "STOP!" Now the scary thing is I couldn't catch up to him and he was headed down the middle of this side street towards a very busy road and what if... You know the WHAT IF someone came driving down this side road and didn't see him in the middle of the road racing away from his very frantic mother... Oh the WHAT IF's are the one's that kill you... It also is the very thing that drove me to catch the little shit...
I caught up to him and grabbed his jacket. He quickly came to a hault and I yelled at him to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN and that we will not be going for a bike ride again for a while. He didn't care.

So there we were a not-so-happy Momma and unhappy, complaining boy, again taking a nice stroll towards home. Actually my back was throbbing and I was still trying to catch my breath, but that's beside the point.

So we were merrily on our way home - got to the main road and onto the nice sidewalk when Little Man yells that I need to let go of his jacket because he needs to drive around the light post. OK I can do that. I let go and the little bugger starts pedalling again - FAST! This time he doesn't get too far ahead. We are near the main road and we're in front of the pharmacy right across the street from our house. He goes down the little ramp at the end of the sidewalk and I tell him we are going into our driveway now but NO, Little Man now is headed onto the other sidewalk in front of our house along the main road ... I RUN and grab his jacket again and GUIDE him towards the driveway. He is now dragging his feet and I am dragging his bicycle into the gravel driveway. He is one determined boy and I really have a hard time dragging him up the driveway because MY BACK HURTS! Finally, we get to the point where I can take him off the bike and I push it over towards the usual parking spot on the corner of the patio and guide the little MONSTER into the house, still holding his jacket...

HOLY CRAP!

I get his jacket off, shoes off, and give him a little shove towards the couch so I can give him a good talking to. I am telling him how terrible that was, how I will not take him for another bike ride for a while and how now he is going to take a very much needed nap. I turn my back and the cushions are flying off the couch - I look in his direction with that mean and angry Mommy look and he sticks his tongue out at me. I decide enough of that battle and pretend I didn't notice.

Five minutes later he is asleep on the couch...

What a nice walk - NOT... and oh my goodness, the terrible Four's are hitting us right now. What happened to that sweet, eager to please little boy that only wants to kiss you on the cheek a hundred and fifty times a day? Oh, I know, he goes to school in the mornings and he is becoming independent. What is it about preschool that makes these little children so naughty when they get home? The three older girls were the same way - angels at school - angry and bratty when I picked them up afterwards. What is that?

In retrospect, I have to laugh - HARD. My husband laughed the whole time I told the story ... You just have to because this little man is the cutest little bugger you ever could see and if you could have seen how fast those little legs were pedalling, you'd have to laugh too...

When we were out walking the other day, my husband asked me, "When did he learn to pedal the bike on his own?" Oh, if he'd seen him yesterday he would have said "Yup, that's my BOY!"