Tricycles Built for Two

"East side, west side, all around the town . . ."

My twins went pedaling down the street, without falling down!

Yep, they've got wheels!  Three of them each.  After delaying the purchase of tricycles because of winter, we went to the store on Saturday and bought two classic red tricycles.  Mama put them together as soon as we got home, working on both at the same time so that one was not finished way before the other (because that would not promote sibling peace).  

After laying down some ground rules--helmets are required, no ramming each other/the house/the car/anything/anybody on purpose, riding only on the sidewalk and driveway, and trikes must be put away in the garage when we're done--they were off.  Sort of.  I had never noticed the slight grade on our sidewalk but it was enough to slow down the initial start, but soon they were off.  It was harder than it looked, I think, to steer and pedal at the same time.  Bud kept ending up in the grass.  Sis kept getting distracted to ring her shiny bell.  Several times, both seemed tippy and almost ended up tumping over sideways.  And then there was the time Bud rolled backwards off someone's driveway into the street.

Hence the helmets.  Truthfully, I was hesitant to require helmets.  It seems so overprotective and paranoid.  I mean, for heaven's sake, they're on tricycles!  Yes, yes, helmets for bikes, skateboards, skates, skiing, I get it because there is actually speed, balance, etc involved.  But a tricycle?  Mama had consulted the APA and other sites, most of which recommended helmets--some states even have helmet laws for trikes (New Mexico, I think it was).  But Connecticut doesn't--they don't even need them in preschool (though, that's not near the street).  

It only took a few minutes on the road, so to speak, to realize that helmets--hers purple with ladybugs, his dark blue with cars--were a good idea.  Between the constant threat of tumping over sideways, accidentally ramming each other, and those driveway slopes leading into the streets, I could see that they could easily fall off without being able to brace or protect themselves.   It's too bad we can't change the rule once they get the hang of steering and braking (they just don't grasp "put your feet down!"), because it still just seems a little much.  But considering that Sis is hysterical everytime she sees any blood from her body ("get it off!  make it go away!") and Bud won't let you clean or bandage anything without a fight, helmets are probably necessary.  

It was so touching, really, to see them pedaling off down the sidewalk together.  Two trikes, two helmeted-heads, two kiddos growing up and stretching their legs.  Funny, I've seen them on big wheels and on scooters, but this was definitely different.  Trikes just seem so grown up somehow (even when, I guess, we're a little late on the trike-thing and big wheels are more grown up).  Sure, it's not the milestone that driving away in a car will be, but it's something.  Especially because the view I had was from behind as they pedaled away.