The Bicycle Dad

As I biked past the boys playing soccer on the field, one of them said, “Here comes Bicycle Dad.”

I was amused by the comment, as I parked my bike by a bench and T biked around the playground.

Like a soccer mom, the only identity that matters at home is not my work nor education – but T’s Papa; and it’s one I am proud and grateful for.

The boys playing soccer are T’s age and older – and they are out during T and my post dinner rides.

T thinks they’re jerks, so he keeps to himself on his bike or gravitates towards younger kids.

On a recent school night, T started to help our 5-year-old neighbour’s dad with teaching his son how to ride a bike.

The best way to practice a skill is to teach it to someone else.

Our family is navigating a new chapter: middle school.

The hubby and I took T’s first school day off work, so we could do drop off and pick up together.

T was nervous and during the first pickup, he had a short cry in the car about how he didn’t fit in.

We reminded him that he also felt this way when he started at his previous school and we reassured him he will find his way and his own tribe.

The rest of the week went better!

During Friday morning’s dropoff, the hubby and I noticed we were the only parents hanging out.

So we told T, who was playing basketball by himself in the yard, that we were leaving before the bell rang and students were let in.

As we left, one of the kids in T’s class approached him and they played ball together.

It was a strangely freeing feeling knowing we can now leave T on his own during dropoff.

As Bicycle Dad, I know this next chapter will be a mix of being there with him, for him – and also giving him space to explore on his own.

As T became proficient at biking, we began to explore newer and further parts of our neighbourhood – and this includes letting him bike on his own.

Biking regulates him.

This morning, he was out for two hours – and he’s back out again this afternoon, as I write this post.

I love seeing him come home with his flushed rosy cheeks, his hair messy and forehead soaked, his eyes behind his glasses wide with contentment.

Photo at top: Sunset bike ride by T’s grandparents cottage in New Brunswick in Summer 2026.