Training Wheels

Knock, knock, knock! Casey heard a banging on her front door. As she walked over to answer it, she heard her friend Alex say, “Casey, come outside! We’re all riding to Devil’s Run, and it’s going to be epic.”

Suddenly, Casey didn’t feel like opening the door. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard her friends.

“Case, we saw you through the window,” her friend Jeanie chimed in.

“Grab your bike and meet us out front,” Sylvia called excitedly.

But Casey didn’t want to grab her bike, and she definitely didn’t want to ride it down the steepest hill in the whole county! She had an embarrassing secret: She was 11 years old, and she still couldn’t ride a bike without training wheels.

Casey’s mom had nicknamed her The Training Wheel Queen when she was younger because she’d loved riding with them so much, but Casey knew it wasn’t cool to use them anymore. “I know you’re mad at them now,” her mom would joke whenever they’d practice. “But one day, you’ll thank your training wheels for all their support!”

Casey chuckled as she remembered the silly things her mom would say to cheer her up. But her good mood vanished when she heard her buds calling her name again. She’d always been able to keep her training wheels secret from her friends, making up excuses whenever they asked her to ride. So, she walked outside to give them more made-up bad news. “Sorry guys,” she said. “I’m grounded because I didn’t eat my veggies last night.” “Really?” Alex asked disbelievingly. Thankfully, her friends seemed to let it go after a few minutes. But Casey couldn’t help but feel guilty as she waved goodbye to her buds. She didn’t want to lie to them anymore,

so that meant she had a new mission.

“Mom, where are you?” she shouted, running into the house. “I need you to come here quick!”

“On my way, Sugar Bean!” Casey’s mom hollered. “What’s so urgent?”

Casey put on her most serious face to let her mom know she meant business. “I want you to teach me how to ride a bike ... for real this time.”

“Woohoo!” her mom cheered. “Let me grab my toolbox, and I’ll meet you out front on the driveway.”

“Out front?” Casey asked, feeling concerned. “People might see …”

“With all those trees out there? We’ll be fine,” her mom waved away her concerns. “Plus who cares who sees you? You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“You have to think that. You’re my mom.” Casey mumbled.

“What was that?” her mom asked. “Nothing! Meet you outside. Can’t wait!” Fifteen minutes later, Casey’s positive attitude was gone. She’d ridden with her training wheels on for a few loops around the driveway, just to get comfortable on her bike again. As soon as her mom took the training wheels off, she froze up. She got so scared that she didn’t even bother pedaling when her mom let go of the bike. She just felt herself begin to fall before her mom would race

As soon as her mom took the training wheels off, she froze up. She got so scared that she didn’t even bother pedaling when her mom let go of the bike.

over to catch her.

“Let’s try it again, kiddo,” her mom tried to motivate her. “You just have to start pedaling and get out of your head. That’s all it took for me.”

Casey loved her mom, but she was sick of hearing the same advice every time they tried this. “Mom, I know that’s all it took for you!” she yelled, getting too fed up to hide her feelings. “But it isn’t working for me. Let’s just face it. I’m not meant to ride a bike.”

“Case, I’m sorry. I was only trying to …”

her mom began to apologize before she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Hey! What’s going on here? I thought you were grounded, Casey?”

Casey knew it was Alex before she even turned around. But she was crossing her fingers Alex was the only one who’d left Devil’s Run early.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When she turned around, she saw Jeanie and Sylvia standing there, too. And they all looked super confused.

“Wait, do you not know how to ride a bike?” Alex asked.

Casey couldn’t take the embarrassment. She got off her bike, threw off her helmet and started to run inside, but someone grabbed her wrist before she could make it through the door.

“Casey, what’s the matter?” Sylvia questioned gently.

“I ... I ... I can’t ride a bike, and now you all know,” she hiccuped through her tears.

“Well … who cares?” Sylvia replied. “There’s no reason to get upset about it.”

“But, you’re all such good riders. It’s so embarrassing.”

“Clearly, you’ve never been riding with us,” Sylvia joked.

“What do you mean?” Casey asked, wiping

the tears from her eyes.

“I only learned how to ride last summer,” Sylvia admitted. “It took me so many summers to finally figure it out, and I haven’t ridden since August. I’m still not the best.”

“Alex is the only one of us that’s a really good rider,” Jeanie popped into the conversation. “Her parents taught her years ago. Sylvia and I usually just ride around at the bottom of Devil’s Run and wait for her.” “Huh?” Casey asked.

“Wait, this whole time you thought we were doing it too?” Jeanie asked.

“Um, duh!”

“You couldn’t be more wrong!” Sylvia started to crack up.

“You know, Casey,” Alex walked over. “If you want me to help you learn to ride, I totally could. I helped Jean and Syl.”

“How did I not know this?” Casey cried. “I’d bet you always got so nervous whenever they brought up bike riding that you tuned them out and started thinking up excuses for why you couldn’t ride with them,” her mom interjected.

Yup, she’s exactly right, Casey admitted to herself.

“Grab your helmet,” Alex said. “I have a few tricks to teach you.”

Alex had Casey push the bike around her driveway for a few minutes first. “That’s so you can get comfortable balancing on two wheels. My parents taught me this way because I used to be a nervous rider, too” she shared.

“Really? I never would have guessed that.” “Trust me. I learned a while ago, but I wasn’t always so confident on a bike.”

After that, Alex had Casey add in some braking, so she could get comfortable with that, too. Next, she practiced pedaling while Alex and Jeanie held the bike upright. Soon, Alex declared that Casey was ready to start riding for real.

“I don’t know about this, guys,” Casey worried.

“Oh, my gosh,” Casey shouted when she realized what was happening. “I’m doing it. I’m a little wobbly, but I’m doing it!”

“It’s okay — we’ll be right here with you, like your own personal training wheels,” Sylvia winked.

“You sound as nutty as my mom,” Casey shook her head.

She got in the zone as she began to pedal. She moved her legs in a circular motion, one after the other. Then, she did again. And again. And again.

“Oh, my gosh,” Casey shouted when she realized what was happening. “I’m doing it. I’m a little wobbly, but I’m doing it!”

“Yes, you are!” her mom cried, jumping up and down.

Casey felt herself begin to fall as she looked around at her friends’ happy expressions. She quickly put her feet down to stop herself.

“So, I’m still a work in progress,” she admitted, walking over to where everyone was standing. “But I did it for a few minutes!”

“Yeah, we’ll have you coming down Devil’s Run with me in no time,” Alex joked.

“Yeah, right,” Casey sassed back. “That’s never happening.” She turned to her mom to say, “But hey, Mom, you were right.”

“Of course, I was,” her mom laughed. “About what this time?”

“About my training wheels,” Casey smiled, looking at her three friends. “I do have to thank them!”