I was watching the news last week and they had their own little WTF Wednesday (I don’t remember if it was a Wednesday or not) event.  The news reporter didn’t call it that, but she definitely implied it with her tone and her facial expressions.  I was just excited about having an award to give out.

If you think about childhood milestones that your child almost exclusively relies on their parents for what do you think of?  The big ones that popped into my head were walking, potty training, tying shoes, riding a bike, catching a ball and driving.  There’s a pretty big leap in there, but I’m not sure what I have to teach Kamryn how to do next.  We’ll figure that out when we get there.

Now you can pass off the responsibility of teaching your child how to ride a bike.  Some say that it’s just like hiring someone to teach your child to swim.  In a way, I can understand that logic, but history dictates that you learn to ride your bike from your parents.  And when it comes to life and death situations, I prefer to consult a professional.  Unless Michael Phelps fathered my children, I’ll be seeking out someone else to teach them to swim.

There’s also the argument of time.  Yes, it takes some time and it can be extremely frustrating, but there is a huge feeling of satisfaction when you see your child pedal away from you the first time on two wheels.  A couple of weekends is all it takes.

So unless you think there is a real possibility that you will end up directing your child to ride into traffic from the frustration, please don’t hire someone to teach your kid how to ride a bike.