Elliot’s 1st day of kindergarten was my 1st day of kindergarten as a mom. His nerves were heightened and so were mine. I had this vision in my mind... biking is where Elliot feels confident and in the zone, so we’d bike to school so those emotions would transcend the bike ride, and carry him as he took his first steps into kindergarten. While on the surface that’s what happened, what actually took place went deeper. The experience led to one of those ah-hah moments as a parent, the ones that remind you what’s important. Truth is, biking played a special role in this one for me. . The belief a child has in themself on a bike has a way of sprinkling confidence like fairy dust into everything they do. Biking has the power to transform a scary experience into a positive one. But biking for our family has also become a safe space to feel and process emotions bubbling up- the good ones and the hard ones. . When I witnessed this happening for Elliot, it reminded me that biking that morning wasn’t about displacing fear or nerves, but creating space to sit with them. Space, and motion, in which Elliot and I could process, regulate, and accept that even when everything is swirling within us, we believe in ourselves and can do hard things. Elliot didn’t arrive at kindergarten free of nerves, but he felt them, and he did have some release. That guided him through the day. Teaching my kids this level of emotional awareness is more important to me than anything as a mom. . We all talk about co-regulation with toddlers. At age 5 a light switch doesn’t flip and they regulate by themselves. However, the tools we use to co-regulate do change. Biking is one of the tools I’m sharing with my kids, so that in addition to having a daily routine for sport & fun, for connection & bonding, they have a routine for emotional regulation as well. This right here is why I partner with @woombikesusa because they get this. And I believe in them and the role they play in our children’s lives. . #motherhood #woombikesusa #woommagicmoment #bikingtoschool #backtoschool #schoolroutine #morningroutine #bikingwithkids #parenting #momlife #letthembelittle #raisingkids #biking #woompartner