Poor wee girl - and poor Dad

[Ariadne]

As I was riding home today, along a tarmac cycle path (totally off road, re-done train lines, I think?), I saw a wee girl ahead of me doing just fine on her bike - no stabilisers. She was about 4, at a guess. She was pedalling and balancing fine, but then she went down a short, steepish hill and panicked.

"Dad!" she yelled!

Dad was at the bottom of the hill.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll catch you," he said. He'd have been better saying "brake gently" ... because he did grab her under her arms, but the speed of her and the bike was too much for him and so the girl ended up in a heap, tangled in her bike, and shrieking "you said you'd catch me!!"

Oh man. The poor guy was distraught! "I'm sorry darling! That was Daddy's fault, I was just too late - are you okay??"

And I think she was, just scared and shaken up and wailing.

But I rode home wondering - just an average childhood tumble, that she'll forget in a minute - or the start of never trusting anyone again?? That poor guy!

[toekneep]

I'm sure she will have forgotten all about it in a week or so. Or at least as soon as all the scabs are past picking. I am often reminded by various members of the family of my traumatic cycling accident aged about four. I am told I went down a very steep cobbled road on a three wheeler and failed to stop at the bottom. A brake lever face interception left me with a neat scar under my chin. I have absolutely no recollection of it but I'm happy to put on a brave face whenever the story comes up. 

[andyoxon]

Went out with the minis this pm - only a few miles.  Older mini ao had her first off - on a sustrans track; she said the front wheel flipped around on her - I was a bit further back.  No real harm done, just a graze - she was more worried about the hole in her favourite tracksuit trousers.

Two weeks ago younger mini came off by catching the edge of a water filled pothole, on one of many of Oxon's hole ridden lanes.     Hasn't put her off fortunately.

They wear leather mitts (Halford's special) - saved bad hand grazes in both cases.

[Ariadne]

Yeah, hopefully she's fine - it didn't look as if she'd really hurt anything. I imagine it's poor Dad who's feeling bad, having put her to bed now and thinking about how he could have done it better!

[woollypigs]

Some years ago I was out walking my dog, as walking up a hilly cycle path. I heard a dad shouting "use the brakes", and around the corner I saw a girl about 5 on her bike bombing it down the hill, with fear on her face, and her dad running his lungs out after her. I started to run up towards her and arrived at the same time as daddy managed to grab her off the bike and I therefore stopped the bike. If she had managed to stay on the bike at that speed for another 50m she would have had a 90deg turn which I'm sure she would not have managed and would have ended up in the ditch.

[Butterfly]

Children are pretty resiliant and bounce fairly well.  At that age they usually forget very quickly and can be bribed with ice cream to forget the rest .

[perpetual dan]

If she doesn't forget it could turn into an amusing family story.
When I was between learning to ride and learning to brake I used to ride up a convenient horse chestnut at the end of our road. Got back on. 

[Jaded]

At that age they usually forget very quickly and can be bribed with ice cream to forget the rest .

A bit like GruB then.

[Wendy]

...to some degree.  They also remember crashes and pain quite well sometimes.