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“Jane, just keep moving your feet forward on the pedals. If you keep moving them forward the bike will go forward. You do know what forward means?”
“Yes, go that way,” Jane points in the right direction.
“If you move your feet and legs forward than the bike will move,” probably said with a little too much exasperation.
Actually, it’s not really bad advice for life. Just keep moving forward. There is so much to see and do out there, and right now, it is all ahead of you. You did a lot of moving forward this year. You started school (and didn’t get kicked out). You are potty trained (I’m sure the people in the store thought I was nuts when I realized I was buying the last package of pull-ups that I would ever buy for my children). You have learned how to fight and how to instigate a fight with your sister (ok, so it is not all good stuff, but I guess it is a part of growing up).
I’m sure you will experience a lot more as a four-year old. You will not be the youngest children in school, so you will get some of that confidence from not being on the bottom of the ladder. You will make more friends, experience more ideas, and become more independent. You will start developing interests and talents that are your very own. All this is just a part of moving forward.
So, just keep going forward even though it may seem hard. You will eventually go places that you cannot even imagine. Every now and then, you will want to brake and stop and see what is around you. This is fine, you need to take in your surroundings and figure out where forward is. And every now and then, you may backpedal. This is also fine, as long as you start moving those little legs forward again.
For your fourth birthday, I hope you ride full of confidence and freedom. I hope you tour pretty streets filled with happy and good people. I hope you know the enjoyment of feeling the cool breeze part your hair and the wind blowing by your ears as those little legs keep those pedals moving forward.
Love,
August 2, 2002 |
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