04.13.07
Flipping the Four Wheeler
Heidi’s dad surprised us one day by telling us that he wanted to get the kids four-wheelers. He has quite a few acres of land, complete with trails that go through the woods, which are perfect for four-wheeling. So when the vehicles (and helmets) arrived, we drove the kids out to the farm to try them out.
The four wheelers have a speed control on them, so we decide how fast they get to go. Trey’s hardly can make it up a hill, and we are just fine with that!
Lance, however, is a little more confident in his off-roading abilities. So we have been gradually increasing the speed of his four-wheeler. He’s mostly careful, but you can see in the smile on his face as he makes a tight corner that the testosterone in him is fighting for control of his normally reserved personality. One day, he sharply turned as he was about to go down a hill. His four wheeler flipped, and Lance went flying.
Those of you who know us know that I am much more calm and collected in emergencies. Heidi flails about and panics. But for some reason our roles switched and I went running out there and Heidi stayed put. Lance got right back up, shook his head, and said “Woah.” For the first time I think he realized that there is a little bit of danger involved here. In those few seconds while I brushed him off and made sure he was OK, I could see in his face a maturity that I haven’t seen in him before. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I’ll be more careful next time.” And I was proud of him when he hopped back on and tried again.
Heidi and I are learning not to worry too much. They’re having such a good time being with Grandpa as they explore the trails in the woods. And maybe Lance is learning lessons that he’ll remember when I hand him the keys to the car for the first time.