The Parable of the Bicycle

The Bike

Some of you may have heard of the Parable of the Bicycle.  It is contained within the book "Believing Christ" by Stephen E. Robinson.  In that story, a little girl wants a bike but only has 61 cents.  She despairs that she will never have enough money to buy a new bike.  The father, however, takes her 61 cents and makes up the difference so that she can get the bike that she had longed for.  The lesson of the parable is that as long as we put in our best efforts, the grace of Jesus Christ will make up for our deficiencies to help us receive the blessing of the Atonement.  This is not that parable.

My parable of the bicycle lacks an inspiring, uplifting theme.  It's the story of a father who tries to put in his best efforts to be a good dad, but realizes that his son is about to turn 9 years old and still doesn't know how to ride a bike.  In fact, that son might be the only kid on the street who doesn't know how to ride a bike.  The reason is that the son's bike was the right size for a four year old (and may have been lost the last time we moved).

The father worries that there are certain things that dads need to teach their sons and he worries that if his son doesn't even know how to ride a bike, he may be missing out on teaching his son other important life lessons as well.  The father resolves correct that mistake, get his son a bike, and teach him how to ride it.  It's never too late to do the right thing.  So maybe there is some hope at the end of my parable after all.  :-)

S.'s Little League Pic

Does this parable sound a little too autobiographical? Well, obviously it's not about me...  *cough* *cough*

Anyway, I figured that it was time to get S. a new bike.  I put a lot of time and effort into trying to pick out the right bicycle.  As a kid, I had a Huffy BMX bike.  It was blue with yellow mag wheels.

The really "cool" bikes when I was a kid were the Diamondback bikes.  I remember being envious of my friends that had those bikes.

I found both types on Amazon.  Then I went to my local bike shop and found a Haro bike that looked really cool but was the most expensive by far.  It has a hand brake and has a freehub, which means that you can pedal backward without actually braking.

I struggled with which bike to buy.  Did I want to spend all night or all weekend putting a bike together?  Or do I want to shell out the extra bucks and get the more expensive bike that is already put together?

Well, if you've seen the picture above, you know which one I chose.  Convenience won out over frugality.

I picked up the bike this morning and I was excited to give it to S.  I stashed it into the closet and hoped that S. wouldn't see it when he got home from school.  He didn't and I wheeled it out at after we did cake and ice cream tonight.  Judging by S.'s reaction, I think we have a winner.  I'm excited to teach him how to ride it.  I have a sneaking suspicion that he's going to figure it out really quickly and take to it like a fish to water.  S. is a really good athlete and he seems excited to start riding.

S. Prepares to Blow Out His Candles

As much as I enjoy riding, I hope that S. can learn to enjoy it as much (if not more than I do).  And maybe it's not too late to learn from my own parable of the bicycle.  :-)