PDD

All of my children were plagued with a little-known developmental issue: PDD. Pedaling Deficiency Disorder.

Other kids practically go right from the crib to a bike, and have the training wheels off before they're in kindergarten. Not my children. Miller can pedal now, but Gray totally cannot grasp the concept. It isn't because they haven't had pedal toys, either. It is because they always chose to push those pedal toys instead of riding them like other children.

Gray got a bike from Santa this year, and we took him out for his first spin on it yesterday. Not surprisingly, the pedaling concept just would not sink in, and we spent the entire hour with me both steering and moving his feet in a circular motion. Finally I got frustrated and hopped on the bike myself to show him, at which point our brand new neighbors pulled up in their driveway and got to see the crazy lady next door on the preschooler-sized bike. (Don't worry - I hopped off and went over to introduce myself.)

I don't anticipate Gray really getting into his bike, but like all other kid milestones, we knew it was something he needed to have. With no sidewalks in our neighborhood, it is tough to teach a kid to ride a bike here and not be worried that they're going to get run over.

But we'll keep at it, PDD and all.