[blindkid] Training Wheels or Not?

[EJ Buhrke]

I don't know if there is a specific answer for keeping the training wheels
on or taking them off. My son is totally blind and 9 and still has them on.
When he was young and just learning to sit up and even to walk he was seen
as having a good sense of balance. In putting 2 wheels under him with the
bike this is not the case.  He too doesn't move very fast, but he continues
to keep trying.  He has gotten too big for me to balance him very long
walking along side him without the training wheels, so while we had them off
for a while we now have them back on.  I hope to be able to take them off
one day, but for now this is his decision to help keep him safe and yet
allows him to continue to ride.  Good luck making your own choice for your
child.

EJ

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Steve & Karen Leinart
Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2009 8:56 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Training Wheels or Not?

Barbara,

We have 4 kiddos from China.  Our youngest is also from Kunming.  We 
adopted him when he was 32 months old, and he is my little guy with 
glaucoma.

Karen

Barbara Hammel wrote:
> Hey Holly
> We adopted our twins almost four years ago from Kunming, Yunnan 
> province China at the age of 2 years and fifty weeks.
> Barbara
>
> If wisdom's ways you wisely seek, five things observe with care:  of 
> whom you speak, to whom you speak, and how and when and where.
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "holly miller" <hollym12 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 5:36 PM
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Training Wheels or Not?
>
>> Hank is 8 and isn't interested in riding a bike so I haven't 
>> experienced it
>> first hand.
>> I did want to wave to you though because Hank is also adopted from 
>> China.
>> He joined our family a month before his 6th birthday, from Suzhou.
>>
>> My gut feeling is, go by if she want the training wheels off or not.
>> If having them on doesn't bother her, if they allow her to bike safely &
>> confidently who cares how old she is?  Besides grandma of course (smile)
>>
>> If she is feeling self conscious about them herself,  a friend swears by
>> taking the pedals off at the same time you take the training wheels off.
>> Lower the seat so her feet will just sit flat on the ground.  Let her 
>> scoot
>> around with foot power, picking up her feet to glide and learn balance.
>> If she starts to wobble, it's easy to set a foot down to stabilize.  The
>> theory is kids feel more secure when they are concentrating on 
>> balance and
>> not thinking about pedaling.  Less epic wipe outs with this method 
>> too. Once
>> they are confidently gliding around, reinstall the pedals
>>
>> Holly
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>
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