For the last 2 years my son has been riding dirtbikes. People think I'm crazy for allowing him to participate in such a dangerous sport. The truth is, I believe my son is talented, a gift was given to him. But, I will let you be the judge.

At 13 months old he took his first steps, from that day on he hasn't stopped. At 18 months he was no longer interested in riding a push car. After a few modifications, we thought a tricycle given to him as a gift was the next step to nurturing his athletic abilities, he was off and riding. He rode that tricycle around our 100 year old home for hours and hours. One day, I made the mistake to take him with me while I did laundry in our basement. He saw my older sons two wheel bike with training wheels, that we saved for him (my older son had outgrown the bike years before). You would've thought a spot light shine down on that bike, he was so excited. His little body climbed upon that bike and proclaimed "mine mine".

After prying his little fingers from the handlebars, I brought the bike upstairs, dusted it off and let him go. He beamed from ear to ear, with a helmet of course, eighteen months old and riding a 2 wheeler? Have you ever seen such a thing, even with training wheels, we were impressed.

By two years old he wanted to ride a dirtbike, he liked visiting local bike shops and climbing on his fathers bike. He would rev the throttle in mock fashion and giggle. I expressed my concerns to my husband and we agreed he was too young for a dirtbike. The request for a dirtbike NEVER seemed to end. Our response was always "When you can ride your bike without training wheels" I thought I was allset for a few years, my husband and I shared the united front. Boy, was I wrong!

When Liam was 3 years old, I went to a scrapbooking crop with some relatives and friends. When I called to check-in on things. Liam said he had lots of fun and he had a surprise for me, being three he continued to tell me my surprise, "We went to the store and I got a dirtbike". This comment was a common one in our house, as toy dirtbikes were everywhere. Liam played with them, slept with them and took them with him everywhere he went.

When I returned home from my trip, Liam was so excited to show me my "surprise". I was skeptical as I'm lead outside to the trailer that housing my husband and eldest son's dirtbikes and gear. I saw a Yamaha TTR50, I watched my baby as he beamed grinning ear to ear. He said "watch this" and started the engine, proud as could be. He couldn't wait to ride that bike....again.

The bike was lowered from it's pedestal. I stood back and watched my son, no longer a baby, hop on his new blue dirtbike. He rode around the house 5 times, each time he rounded a corner my heart skipped a beat, with each jolt the machine made, my heart skipped again. That's my baby, on a machine dangerous enough to crush him, to kill him. I watched, as he handled that dangerous machine with ease he smiled and exclaimed "isn't it cool Mommy!"

What could I say to that? He loved it, he was comfortable, he was at home. He trusted his abilities, now I had to. So I looked at him with tears beginning to flood my eyes. Difficultly accepting my baby is no longer a baby, but a boy full of life, gifted with abilities to never give up and driven to succeed. I looked at him with pride and admiration then said "Yes, buddy it is cool!".