The Little Bicycle and Papa’s Belief
The Little Bicycle and Papa’s Belief
Shivam had been waiting for his fifth birthday for a very long time.
Every morning, he would run into his parents’ room, climb onto the bed beside his father and ask, “Papa, how many days are left for my birthday?”
His father would pretend to think very seriously.
“Hmm… I think there are at least one hundred days left!”
“Papa!” Shivam would protest. “You are joking!”
His father would laugh and pull him into a warm hug.
“Alright, alright. Only a few more days.”
Shivam loved these little conversations with his father. His father was not only his Papa; he was his playmate, storyteller, teacher, and the person Shivam ran to whenever he wanted to share something exciting.
And this birthday was going to be extra special.
For months, Shivam had been watching children ride bicycles in the park near their home.
Every time he saw someone riding past, he would hold his father’s hand and say, “Papa, when will I ride a bicycle?”
“Very soon,” his father would reply.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
So, on Shivam ‘s fifth birthday, when his father took him into the garden and showed him a beautifully wrapped gift, Shivam ‘s eyes immediately became wide with excitement.
He tore open the wrapping paper.
There it was.
A beautiful little bicycle.
“Papa!” Shivam shouted.
He ran straight into his father’s arms.
“My bicycle!”
His father hugged him tightly.
“Yes, my little champion. Your very first bicycle.”
Shivam touched the handle, spun the wheels and rang the bell again and again.
“Can I ride it now?”
His father laughed.
“Of course. But first, we need your helmet.”
Shivam quickly put on his helmet.
His father adjusted the straps carefully.
“Too tight?”
Shivam shook his head.
“Too loose?”
“No.”
“Then we’re ready.”
His father helped him sit on the bicycle.
Shivam placed his hands on the handle and his feet on the pedals.
“Don’t worry,” Papa said gently. “I am right here.”
Those four words made Shivam feel brave.
I am right here.
His father held the back of the bicycle.
“Look ahead, Shivam . Keep your hands steady. Slowly push the pedals.”
Shivam pushed.
The bicycle moved.
“Papa! Look!”
“I am looking!”
Shivam laughed excitedly.
But just a few seconds later, the bicycle tilted to one side.
Thud!
Shivam fell onto the grass.
His father immediately helped him up.
“Are you hurt?”
Shivam shook his head.
His father brushed the grass from his shirt and checked his knees.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.”
“Then shall we try again?”
Shivam nodded.
His father held the bicycle once more.
This time, Shivam went a little farther.
Then….
Thud!
Another fall.
Shivam looked disappointed.
But his father didn’t scold him.
He simply sat beside him on the grass.
“You know what?” Papa said.
“What?”
“Your bicycle is also learning.”
Shivam looked at him with confusion.
“Bicycles have to learn?”
His father laughed.
“No. But you and the bicycle are learning to understand each other.”
Shivam smiled.
His father put his arm around his shoulders.
“It’s okay to fall, champ. Papa is here.”
That became their little sentence.
Whenever Shivam fell, his father would say,
“Papa is here.”
And whenever Shivam felt nervous, his father would hold his hand and say,
“We can try together.”
The next morning, Shivam woke up early.
“Papa!”
His father was still sleepy.
“What happened?”
“Let’s practise!”
His father smiled.
“You really want to learn, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
So they went outside.
His father didn’t rush him.
He taught him one small thing at a time.
First, how to sit properly.
Then how to balance.
Then how to keep the handle straight.
Then how to pedal.
Sometimes Shivam became frustrated.
“Papa, I can’t do it.”
His father would kneel beside him.
“Not yet.”
“But I tried.”
“I know.”
“I fell.”
“I know.”
“I don’t like falling.”
His father smiled and held his hand.
“Neither do I. But falling doesn’t make you weak. Getting back up makes you stronger.”
Shivam looked at his father.
“Will you stay with me?”
His father squeezed his little hand.
“Of course. As long as you need me.”
And somehow, those words gave Shivam the courage to try again.
Days passed.
Their bicycle practice became something they both looked forward to.
Sometimes they practised early in the morning.
Sometimes they practised in the evening when the sun was softer.
Sometimes they simply sat together on the garden steps after practising and talked about their day.
Shivam began to notice something.
Papa didn’t get angry when he made mistakes.
Papa didn’t laugh when he fell.
Papa never said, “You can’t do it.”
Instead, Papa always said,
“Let’s try again.”
One evening, Shivam was practising in the garden.
His father was walking behind him, holding the back of the bicycle.
“Keep looking ahead,” he said.
Shivam pedalled slowly.
“That’s it!”
“Keep going.”
Shivam kept pedalling.
Then his father loosened his grip.
One second passed.
Then another.
Shivam was still riding.
His father quietly let go.
Shivam continued moving forward.
He was riding all by himself.
For several moments, neither of them realised what had happened.
Then Shivam looked back.
“Papa!”
His father was standing behind him, smiling proudly.
“You’re doing it!”
Shivam stopped the bicycle and jumped off.
“Papa! You let go!”
His father laughed.
“You didn’t need me to hold the bicycle anymore.”
Shivam ran toward him.
His father opened his arms, and Shivam jumped into them.
They hugged tightly.
“I did it because you taught me,” Shivam said.
His father kissed his forehead.
“No, Shivam . I helped you. But you did it. You kept trying even when it was difficult.”
Shivam smiled.
He looked at his bicycle and then back at his father.
“Papa?”
“Yes?”
“When I grow up, will you teach me everything?”
His father smiled.
“I will teach you whatever I can.”
“And when I fall?”
“I’ll help you get up.”
“And when I am scared?”
“I’ll hold your hand.”
“And when I can’t do something?”
His father hugged him again.
“I’ll remind you to try one more time.”
Shivam rested his head against his father’s shoulder.
He suddenly understood something that had nothing to do with bicycles.
His father’s greatest gift wasn’t the bicycle he had received on his fifth birthday.
It was the confidence his father had given him.
The confidence to fall without being afraid.
The courage to try again.
And the comforting knowledge that whenever life became difficult, there would always be someone beside him saying,
“Don’t worry. Papa is here.”
From that day forward, whenever Shivam faced something difficult, he remembered those words.
Sometimes he would succeed.
Sometimes he would make mistakes.
Sometimes he would fall.
But he never stopped trying.
Because he had learned an important lesson from his first bicycle:
You don’t have to know how to do everything at once. You just need someone who believes in you, and the courage to try one more time.
Moral of the Story
Patience and perseverance help us improve. Mistakes and failures are part of learning. With love, encouragement, and the courage to keep trying, even difficult things can become possible.
And sometimes, the greatest strength a child can have is simply knowing:
“My Papa believes in me.”
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Ratna Prabha.
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