Wipe out!

Jackson had his first real crash on his bike today. It was so SAD! But he was a trooper!

He and Veronica ride balance bikes (two-wheelers with no pedals, they just push along with their feet). We were going down a fairly steep hill and Jackson started coasting with his feet up in the air - going faster and faster. Then he started to panic and couldn't stop! He kept his balance for probably two houses and then finally crashed sideways off the bike. I was running after him, according to Dick yelling, "hit the brakes, hit the brakes!" An unfortunate way for me to say "put your feet down" which I do think I yelled at least once... (The balance bikes don't have brakes, just their feet!)

Poor little dude! It broke my heart to see him fall! His injuries were minor - just a scrape on the back of one hand. He cried for a while then daddy got him to "cowboy up" and get back on the bike. :-)

As a mom, I always wonder if I did enough to try to "save him." Could I have run faster? Could I have yelled something different that would have helped him? I just want to hold him in my arms always and never let anything bad happen to him! But I know that's - for one thing - impossible! And I know that doesn't prepare him to live independently in the world.

He was a brave little trooper and we told him how proud we are of him. :-)