Face the Fear and Conquer It
We checked out the Bike Park at BSD Xtreme Park yesterday.
When we got there, our 10yo Brie rode a rented BMX bike, and as soon as she sat on it, she said the handle was too far (her first time riding a BMX), and it was hard to ride the bike. I told her to give it a try anyway.
(Yes, she can ride a bike, but she doesn’t get much practice here in Jakarta)
The mistake was, we didn’t see the “smaller track” on the side, and so Brie went and tried going up a “hill”, and she stopped midway.
She got off, and stayed there for about 2 minutes.
When she came to me, she was sobbing.
Hugging and comforting her, I asked what happened, and she said she felt she’s about to fall and it was scary.
She also said how she couldn’t keep her hands steady, and it felt like she’s sometimes wobbling.
I encouraged her to go on the “flat track”, then try the smaller track on the side.
Thanks to her friend, Brie also exchanged her BMX bike with his. She felt more comfortable with his bike.
After going off and cycling away, some 30 minutes or so later she smiled and said, “I can do it!”
She also tried going over the high hill that she’s very afraid of in the beginning, and succeeded. She went over the track a few times.
“I knew you could do it, and what you did well was you did not stop when it got scary and frustrating. You cried but you didn’t stop trying, Brie!”, I gave her a proud look and smiled.
…
On our way home, I asked how she felt (because she cried twice in the beginning).
She told us: “When I first got on the bike, somehow there’s this voice in my head that said, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.” I really felt I was about to fall backwards or forward and fall off the bike. It was terrifying. Then I fixed my self talk. I told myself, “I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.” and I tried the smaller hills on the side. It was not easy, because I still wobbled and couldn’t steer the bike well. But after trying again and again, I could do it!”
…
I am so grateful for the experience we all had at the Bike Park.
It was our firsts on such a bike track, and what’s wonderful about it is we got to see how our kids learned to face their fears when they entered an uncomfortable zone.
To us, how they responded mattered a lot, and I am glad that Brie (who had the biggest fear till she cried) managed to find a way out and did not give up.
“Brie, when you face any difficulties in life, remember to not give up, just like what you did earlier on the track”, I said.
Thanking God for this experience.
