Call It What You Want...

It only takes a cousin.

Preferably one just enough older to be doing the cool stuff.

Like peeing standing up (that was a couple years back. Jonathan taught Mark to do it, and he was gung-ho for potty-training).

Or riding a bike.

After a weekend spent with the cousin who just turned five, I offered Mark a chance to go out and try out the training-wheeled bike that he's been shunning for quite some time. One offer was all it took. He was on that bike quick as a wink!
The helmet on, we walked the bike down our steep driveway and across the street to try it out. It was hard to pedal. We came back and pumped up the tires. Mark did the pumping, I just did the hooking up and un-hooking.

Then we rode again. Up to Laurel and back, then up to Tamarack and back. Back up to Laurel, up Laurel a little, then back to the corner and back home. Then a little ride in the behind-the-dad-bike trailer, then back onto the bike again to ride up to Laurel again (and ride fast enough down the sloping sidewalk that I had to jog to keep up).

The training wheels keep the bike very upright right now, but since it's his first attempt (and he even had the bike fall over when he was walking it down the driveway and got teensy scrapes on his elbows and was still excited to ride some more), I'm just excited to see him trying it.

We also have an even smaller training-wheel bike that Adam can get on. His pedaling skills aren't quite there yet. But if Mark's doing it, the little brother can't be far behind!!!