My dad's style was to remove ONE training wheel before you even asked, and raising the remaining one about half an inch. Then as you rode your bike you would occasionally notice that the training wheel was not touching the ground at all!
When you did ask for that other training wheel to be removed, Dad only had to start you out a couple of times and you were "flying!" We had a couple of young widows on the block, so Dad had the "honor" of teaching their children to bike ride as well.

Its funny you should bring this one up, Ron. Training wheels were a substantial memory for me. One, because I never learned with them. I first tried a girl’s bike, with her fiend and her trying to help me. I did not yet have a bike at 5. I had a tricycle. So I got a bike at 6. Couldn’t ride it so I went with training wheels. That didn’t work, either, cause you depend on them rather than trying to ride without leaning to one side or the other. So I finally have them taken off.

Here’s the thing. I only had a couple or 3 days of trying, for maybe an hour or less. So I try my first time after the training wheels come off. Maybe an hour or so. But without success. The next day, and I remember it so vividly, I could suddenly ride. I was dumbfounded and bewildered but excited as hell. I could not stop riding. Of course, riding around then entire block was a big deal at age 6. But I rode it several times. It was overcast that day and most kids were not out.

I learned that learning takes time and effort and that while you sleep, neurons grow and develop and suddenly you can do something you were not able to do previously. And to do it, you have to stumble at first. It happens with anything.

But only recently, I pieced together a few things more about learning to ride. Riding on lawns so as not to get hurt if you fall, might be good at first to develop some sort of feel. Bt I think parents can help too, by helping a child understand the cost involved. Son, you’ll need to spend about half an hour on the lawn for maybe 3 or 4 days/times. Then you’ll need to hit the pavement for speed is the real key to riding. Speed of the wheels spinning is what keeps the bike up and running.

Remember riding without handle bars? You have to be going fast to do it. Slow and you fall. Riding on lawns very long will keep you slow and you’ll never get it. I was wobbling a little on the lawn first thing out that morning that I rode and decided I was going to try the street. The street was immediate success. That was the real key in many ways.

I am going to start another post on this one to address some of your other good points.

If you fall off your bike now, you better be wearing safety gear cause the law in many states says you have to. You’re not allowed to hurt yourself. Big brother knows much better than you what is for your own good. We used to have choices on those things. Now you have to buckle up or the world might come to an end. I used to be able to lay down in the back seat of the car and sleep on the way back from Lewiston to South Portland, about an hour driving. But the law says that kids are in imminent danger doing such reckless and crazy things as riding without seatbelts. The fact that all us babyboomers used to ride without belts and without incident is irrelevant.

In fact, in Maine, those who die in car accidents with belts on or with them off, on/off, is 52%/48 percent, which basically suggests that seat belts make little to no difference in whether people die or not. We boomers are proof that the other way was no more better or worse than the present over-controlling law.

To me, this was one of the great things about the 60s. There was freedom and choice. Not any more! When I tell younger people how I would love to give up the technology and go back to the 60s, they can not understand why. That is because they were born into the prison lifestyle that I once lived without. They can never really know how great it was. But I remember, Ron! I was there and you were, too. Testify boomers!

Too little responsibility is required, too little is taught anymore. We ask almost nothing of our kids and low and behold, we get nothing in return. Imagine that, you get what you ask for. What a concept! We could blame our kids but . . . I am going to blame us boomers for not giving to our kids, what was given to us. We allowed schools to give less and less and change the curriculum. We allowed stupid politicians to be elected, we did not make them accountable and we allowed their stupid laws to be enacted and allowed senseless and frivolous lawsuits to be allowed.

Things changed very much but someone was supposed to be on watch and I guess no one was. So some did what they did and it was not for the better. But maybe yet at this late in the game, we can still learn from our past mistakes. But if not, then I would rather not predict the future except to say that we shall repeat history, falling as all empires before us have, because we did not carefully pass on to our kids what was handed to us, if indeed, anything was handed down to us. But at least we did have a sane world for a brief time and surely that should give us some reason to ponder and reconsider.

Sorry about the soap box Ron, but your good observation sort of touched a nerve there. Knee jerk reflex I guess.

all these scars i have are memories of "learning the hard way" That's what made us real kids and real people in this cut throat world.

Its better to learn the hard way than to not learn at all. but if it is possible to learn with suffering or loss, I have no problem with it. I get irritated when those who believe they know better than me what is safe, good, or moral, such as the government and do-gooders, shove it down my throat and tell me I can't do or risk this or that anymore. Maybe you agree?