The Tale of Solomon & the Bike......

Our oldest son Solomon is very much like me. He does things in his time, with a bit of a stubborn streak. He is going to be 8 years old mid-June, and Peter & I have tried for 3 years to teach him how to ride a two wheeler. We have been completely unsuccessful. It has caused many fights & tears, and this year I decided it just isn't worth it. I have given my resignation as a bike trainer, and completely shut my mouth. I contemplated not even buying him a bike this year (we sold his old one in Colorado), but in April we found a bike without training wheels for $7 at a resale shop. WE took the bike home, stuck it on our front porch and Peter & I didn't talk about it. One of the tires needed to be pumped up, and we didn't have a pump. So it sat for a week. I think the anticipation was building for Solomon, because as soon as the bike was ready he jumped on.

Over the time period of three weeks, Solomon taught himself how to ride a bike. In fact, my birthday present from him this year was watching him riding his bike without falling! It was amazing! And so good to see the look of accomplishment on his face- it was priceless. He is now mastering the skill of braking, and not going so far down the block that I can't see him. Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries- once they start, they don't stop.

Now I am praying that teaching him to drive a car doesn't take 3 years. It's a good thing he is only 8.

What's the going rate of a tooth these days?

This story begins almost 2 years ago in our house in Colorado. It is almost 9 PM and we have a very excited 6 year jumping around our house exclaiming, "My tooth came out! My tooth came out!"
This joyous occasion connected to much anticipation with a good dose of nerves. Solomon had this loose tooth for about 3 weeks and he would wiggle it just a bit everyday. If anyone suggested (meaning my husband) tying his tooth to a piece of string and a doorknob or even eating an apple, Solomon would gaze at you with tears in his eyes. So we wait and wait until the day the tooth has falls out because of the laws of gravity. And Solomon is happy, especially because he gets to stick that tooth underneath his pillow that night and hope that something big appears. So we clean the tooth, put it in a special box and kiss the boy goodnight. And then Peter and I forget about it.
Fast forward to about midnight while Peter and I lay in bed. Memories of that excited little boy rush back, and we pull ourselves out of bed to find Peter's wallet. In our sleepy stupor we pull out a bill and stick it under Solomon's pillow, with barely time to remember to take the tooth. But we have done our parental duty, and we quickly fall back asleep.
Morning light comes, and that excited little boy from the night before is even more excited. So excited that we are baffled. I mean it's just $1!! Then we see what he is holding in his hand. A $5 bill- in our bleary eyes at midnight a $5 bill looks like a $1 bill. And Solomon has become a rich man overnight from a tiny little tooth! He quickly makes plans to pull out all his teeth, and make his way to the toy store. Now we have a dilemma on our hands. Solomon is going to expect $5 every time a tooth falls out! But like good parents we procrastinate until the subject is forgotten about, which brings us to today. Solomon had another tooth fall out today! And guess what he is expecting tonight!! I almost feel bad for him, to wake up to only 1/5 of the money he expected. But living does not come cheap, and these parents have bills to pay. I contemplated leaving a note from the tooth fairy explaining that because of the price of fuel, and the recession a tooth now has the going rate of $1. But I will do the right thing and fess up.......and do it right now before I forget!