A Right of Passage

My five year old grandson has an older sister who has known how to ride a bike for awhile now. He would watch in eager anticipation wishing for the time when he could do the same. So my son got him out on the blacktop at the local elementary school to teach him to ride a bike without training wheels. There was a pep talk about believing in yourself and being brave.

With a gentle shove, my brave grandson peddled his heart out while repeating that he used to be scared, but now he’s brave. It filled my heart with pure joy to hear my son say, “You’re doing it, son!” I must have watched the video fifty times. There are so many milestones along the way. As he peddled, I kept thinking, “He’s on his way.”

Later that day I chastised my son for forgetting a helmet. He knew he did, and got caught up in the moment. He keeps the helmet in the car now. My grandson said, “I was brave and words have power.” How true.