I took it upon myself this summer to finally get the training wheels off of the kids bikes. My 4 year old son (Evan) took to it like a fish to water. I don't want to brag (Ok, maybe a little bit), but he has some pretty awesome natural athletic ability. His training wheels were off and it only took 3 or 4 trips down the block for him to mostly master the two wheeler.
My six year old daughter (Madison) needed more help. She's kind of one that if she can't do it perfectly the first time, she doesn't want to do it. It look a little more effort, but she eventually got decent at it.
So Sunday morning rolls around. While much of the east coast was dealing with Hurricane Irene, the weather in Wisconsin was absolutely beautiful - mid 70s and sunny. So we all decide to head down to Lake Michigan - which just under a mile from our house. DS, DW and DD all ride their bikes, but I decided to jog along with DD, as she still needed a little help once in a while.
We stopped at a park across the street from the lake and played for a little bit, but then decided to go down to the water to and dip our toes in. Now, in this particular area, between the beach and the road are 60'-70' bluffs. The city has done a very nice job putting in a biking/jogging/roller skating path along the lake. Right next to the park we were at it runs along the top of the bluff, then angles down to the beach.
We left the park, intending to cross the street and take the path down to the beach. Madison took her new found proficiency on the bike for granted and took off a little bit too quick. I sprinted after her, yelling for her to hit the breaks. She panicked and froze up. All she could do was grip the handle bars and scream. As she crossed the path heading for the bluff I got within about a foot of grabbing her, but no closer. Her bike crossed the grass strip between the trail and the edge of the bluff and started accelerating.
Luckily, the bluff is not straight down, but it is as a very steep angle - probably 75°-80°. That spot is also thick with vegetation. A lot of light, leafy underbrush types of plants, but also a lot of plants that remind me of bamboo - 6 or so feet tall and about an inch in diameter. They were hollow inside, yet had thick walls. These were our saving grace - as you hit them, they slowed you down, but then broke so it wasn't like hitting an oak tree. (Which coincidentally was just down the path)
So, Madison is on her bike, heading down the cliff. I wasn't going to let her go alone, so kept on running after her. Well at that steep of an angle, you don't run for long. I went down fast and started hitting those plants, hearing Madison screaming the entire time. The foliage was so thick that you couldn't see more than a foot or two in any direction. Not that you could anyway, going that fast everything was just a blur.
I must have taken a slightly different path down the bluff, because I saw the glittery pink and purple streamers of Madison's bike as I slid by, just to her right. She has come to a stop in a thicket of plants. Being much heavier, I had more momentum to stop and ended up sliding past her by about 7 or 8 feet. I scrambled back up to her, trying to dig my running shoes into the dirt and using the stalks of the plants as braces and anchors.
I finally reached Madison, finding her on her back, one foot caught in the bike, another tangled up in the plants about 3 feet off the ground. I tried to find out what hurt the most and she said her belly (he has about an 8 inch scrape on it) and her foot. I don't have much (or really, any) medical training, but I took it as a good sign that her head, neck or back didn't hurt. I was able to lift her, untangle her from the bike and plants and start helping her up the hill.
By this time, several people that witnessed the events came running to help. One had started down the trail we had blazed through the brush. I was able to help push Madison up to his outstretched hand and he helped pull her up to a visibly shaken Bambi an Evan. (Bambi later told me that after she jumped off her bike at the top of the bluff, Evan had grabbed her and pulled her back, fearing that she was too close to the edge.)
With the help of the random stranger, I was able to pull Madison's bike up behind me while Bambi calmed Madison down to find out if anything else hurt. In the end, all we ended up with were scratches, bruises, and one heck of a scare.
We thanked everyone that stopped to help, then walked down the paved trail to the beach. After we got back on level ground, Bambi convinced Madison to get back on her bike and ride some more. She was a bit hesitant, but she got back on started riding.
We worked on braking during the ride home, but by the time we made it back she was riding like a natural.
We always make the kids wear helmets while riding their bikes (Bambi and I do it too, lest we be hypocrites.) The kids have often seen other children in the neighborhood riding sans helmet and asked if they could. We've always said it was for their own protection. Both kids now know exactly what we mean when we say to wear your helmet for your own good.
And yes, it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning. Not only did I fall/slide down the bluff that morning, I went back again that afternoon and climbed down, looking for my glasses. I don't remember if I had them on while I was jogging, but I certainly haven't seen them since. I have an appointment this afternoon with the optometrist to a new pair. But that's a small price to pay compared to how bad the day could have turned out.
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You'll do great! 
