Sunday September 23, 2007
My son overcame his fear of just about everything with his first motorcycle ride. About 5 years ago, an ex-boyfriend and I decided to take my son on a ride at a local church festival. It probably wasn't the best idea we ever had. The ride as we know it is called the zipper. You might know under another name. It is typically red with 4 cages with one at each end of 2 arms. The arms swing opposite each other like a windmill at high velocity, which makes the swinging cages flip upside down and what feels like every which way around.
As a child, I LOVED thrill rides and I still do. I would get very upset if I was told I was too little to ride. My ex-husband, my "baby daddy" (REALLY JUST KIDDING about the ghetto slang) was and still is the same way. I would only expect my son to fall in love with the addicting drug of adrenaline like his parents.
This didn't happen. At least not at the tender age of 5. As he was riding, or holding on for dear life, with Josh, I could hear his blood-curling screams from down below over the noise of all the rides combined and the crowd. I was torn between crying and laughing. I know that makes me sound like an awfull mother, but that's what I do in a paralizingly awkward moment. I laugh. I did it all through my wedding. That should say something in itself. Anyway... my poor child up there screaming for help and I couldn't help him.
Ever since then, he would only ride the rides that do not go up or down. He would go on the bumper cars and basically the baby rides that go round and round and not up and down. If they did have a control for the children to make it go up and down, he wouldn't. He would just stay to the ground.
In the last year he has gotten better, but not much. He would beg me to take him to King's Island or Coney Island. I refused to pay the admission prices just to walk around, not get to ride rides myself, and fight with him about the money he would ask for to play games. he has been on field trips, but not just for the sake of going.
On Sunday, the 23rd, it changed.
We went to my boyfriend's motorcycle club's annual field meet. First of all, this is not the type of motorcycle club you are thinking. No Hell's Angels or Iron Horseman. This group consists mainly of retirees and thier wives. During Poker Runs, they stop and get ice cream, not go to a bar. Very mild group who love to ride. The field meet is mainly a group picnic and we play motorcycle games. Games like darts and jousting and toss the ball over & catch after you have gone under the bar. Fun non-threatening games.
Of course there is the singles round, then the couples round and last but not least, the kids' round. My son has always been scared to get on the back of Thunder's bike. When we were on our way to the field meet and I explained about the kids' games, the tide began to turn.
He could not wait to just jump on that bike and ride! He hopped on as if he had been riding on is since he could walk! I have one picture only because my memory card was full! I hate when that happens! Now he wants to ride all the time and is talking about trying to be a bit more adventurous! He wants to try more rides!
I knew it would only be a matter of time!
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