When not being able to borrow a bike lock is a sign of progress!

 

"just for Karen--I walked to do my neighborhood errands today! (cause I didn't want to mess around looking for the bike lock)" 

This message popped up on facebook from a friend and it made me smile. (For any number of reasons.)   I responded to her that my own bike lock had gone AWOL quite a while ago too.  I've been using my son's lock for a year or so, since he had not been riding solo and had not needed it. 

Late last fall he finally mastered the art of self-propelling on his bike.  Then winter came and he was off the bike until about a week and a half ago.  Now all he wants to do is ride!  He announced he wanted to ride his bike to religious education tonight.  So Sunday we rode all the possible routes between home and church to figure out the best way up a decent sized hill.  Having worked that out (about 3 miles of riding later) he was content to head home. 

 We were going to stop for a treat of bubble tea at our neighborhood tea house, but alas they were closed.  So Monday night, after dinner my son and I got on our bike and rode to Firehouse Tea and Coffee to claim the celebratory bubble tea.  I got the bike lock out and put it on Pete's bike and when we arrived I had him lock his bike (and mine) to the bike rack so he would have a little practice doing it on his own.  We enjoyed our tea and then headed home in the evening dusk.  Tonight he'll ride to religious ed - this is a pretty big deal for him.  Church is about a mile and a half from home and he has clearly put a lot of planning into this trip.

I realized what it means is that I'm going to have find my own bike lock to use, because my son is grown enough now he will be needing to use his own.  Another step toward independence!