A bike, a scooter, and a helicopter (parent).

So basically two things happened today:

1.  The boys grew a little more independent

2.  And I turned a little more into a helicopter parent!

We live 2 blocks from a great school playground.  Most days, the kids and I trek down there to play with all the other 4-6 year olds during their recess.  And because I homeschool, I count it as PE.  And sometimes language arts judging by the amount of languages being  spoken.

Anyway, the big boys have been asking to ride their bikes alone to the playground.  And though I trust them and think they could pull it off (and successfully take down a bad guy), I don’t trust the hundreds of strangers who walk the same route each day.  But they keep asking, so today I let them ride their bikes back to the house while I hovered in the minivan.  Hazard lights a’blinking, iphone recording, and Caramia and Judah cheering them on out the window.  They made the 2-block journey in about 15 minutes (crashes, trash cans, a stop sign, a pack of high schoolers and a hill.)  And in those 2 blocks, Silas and Sam become a little more independent.  A little more responsible.  A little more like the men they want to be.

Here’s the post-game interview, which I find pretty amazing.  Mostly because you can see their chests puff up and Sammy says ‘dude’ in his cool voice.  And because Silas coaches me on how to train them and he has pretty amazing insight and direction!  He really should write a parenting book.