stepping stones

the most tender image of the week: a mom teaching her son how to ride a bike...without training wheels. it's interesting how i've become desensitized to parents experiencing milestones with their children. the first diaper change. the first bath. the first feed at the breast. it's always a joy being a witness to stepping stones, but i almost come to expect it. yes, dad, that is indeed your baby's first dirty diaper. but to witness stepping stones in the everyday public - milestones for a child who can walk, talk, feed himself - is refreshing. and simply sweet.

so there he was, bulbous helmet and all, wobbling to and fro with mom supporting the back of the bike. one pedal forward, mom close behind. attempts to ride in alignment...failed by the inherent force of a bike much bigger than the boy.

all i could do, besides control my internal laughter, was imagine the trust developing between a mom and son. imagine how Junior will fail time and again, but how he'll finally get it. how he'll spend all his time riding with his friends, one day telling stories of how his mom ran right beside him.