As I observed the interaction between the parents and their daughter, I struggled as I held myself back from interfering since I felt that my involvement, as a stranger, would be inappropriate. But, the image of this girl's obvious fear and embarrassment stayed with me, so I decided I would share my thoughts here.

Two things became very clear to me, as I watched the parents, and their daughter interact. The first was that the parents were frustrated, and the second was, in that moment, their daughter wanted no part in learning how to ride a bike. The more her parents yelled at her to, "just pedal" as they pushed the bike along, the more she complained that should could not.

In our excitement, sometimes to help our kids learn new skills, we sometimes forget how complex and emotionally loaded some situations really can be for some children, especially when teaching your child how to ride a bike.

Take going up to the counter and ordering an ice cream sundae. For some kids - they can't do it fast enough. But, others might have so much internal chatter that the task seems daunting. Will the person hear me? Will I explain what I want correctly? Will he get angry if I ask to taste a flavor? Will the other kids be pushy if I take too long? Throwing our kids into certain situations and assuming they will just "catch on," if we push enough, can leave a child feeling insecure, embarrassed, and mostly misunderstood.  [read more]