Bike Riding
"clyde" learned how to ride a bike. It's a huge thing for a kid with motor planning issues. I will never forget the day his physical therapist asked me to come out to the hallway to see something.....there was "Clyde" on a big wheel, pedaling with all his might up and down the hallway. I cried. He was 6, and i never thought i'd see the day he learned to pedal a bike.  

It was a quick transition from the big wheel to a bicycle...with training wheels of course. He LOVED the yellow and black bike my sister bought him for his birthday. He rode it EVERYWHERE. We had a fenced in backyard and i'd let him ride it all over the back yard. He and his brother would have "races" around the back yard, down the drive way, and to the cul de sac just one house over. 

Well, as Clyde got older, he felt he could ride that bike any time, any where. With or without his brother or parents. I was out one day. Not sure where, maybe I was at work or shopping, and Dad was on "duty". He was upstairs and he heard the garage door open. He was getting dressed after a shower with the boys. "C" could dress himself. Clyde still had trouble. Dad assumed it was "C" that had opened the garage door and was heading outside. He hurriedly put his clothes on to check. As he got to the garage door, he passed "C" on his way. Shoot. Where's Clyde??

Well, Clyde decided he wanted to ride that bike. He was addicted to riding that bike. We had taken many bike rides around the neighborhood as a family.  Clyde decided that he was ready to ride that day. Off on his bike he went.

He was gone a good 5 minutes when Dad realized he had taken off. Dad put on shoes and took off on foot to see if he could find him. Now, remember, they had just had a shower and Clyde has a seizure disorder and autism so anything could happen.

Dad rounded the corner by the school and there was a sherrif car and a town police car stopped. The officers were standing outside of their cars with shocked expressions on their faces. As Dad nears, he sees Clyde.

Clyde had taken his bike out for a ride. He put on his helmet and his shoes. BUT NOTHING ELSE. 

CLYDE WAS STARK NAKED!!!!!

Dad was embarassed.....tried to explain to the officers just why his kid was out on a bike ride naked. 

Laughing, the officers replied, "At least he had a helmet on!" 

Safety first, I guess.