Low speed wobble

We were supposed to go skating, but Kieran has been coughing a lot and not feeling well so we asked him what he wanted to do. And he did not want to go.

So after school, he said he wanted to ride his bike. He took me to the park, where we played with some other kids for a bit and then we headed home. Took a different route home, instead of the street, we took a path behind the homes. There's one little downhill. Unassuming, for an adult. I went down first and then Kieran followed.

He's a really good rider. Balance is really good. But little wheels, little bike, short wheelbase. The thing gets twitchy. How do I know? I rode his 10 inch bike down a dirt hill in Swansea. Much steeper than this. And I wiped out. Got my sevens jeans dirty, damn it.

I watched him in horror as I saw his front wheel start to wobble. I couldn't get off my bike fast enough to catch him before he crashed. I could see he was trying to slow down. Panicking a bit by putting his feet down to slow himself, instead of braking with the pedals. His handle bars started turn back and forth, he was losing control and then he lost control. And he face planted.

Carrying him, his bike and rolling my bike, we headed home. Good thing we were just around the corner. Poor kid, he was crying clutching his hands, but not wailing. Telling me he was trying to slow down and couldn't. His knuckles and his lip were scraped, his mouth covered in blood, I was worried he lost a tooth, but I saw none were missing, his teeth were covered in a lot of blood. It's like he went 10 rounds with Manny Pac-Man Pacquio.

Tresa cleaned him up, while I went out to get some popsicles so he could have a treat and ice his mouth at the same time. Popsicles always seem to help a hurt. When I got home, he had fallen asleep on the couch. Probably his body shutting itself down to heal from the trauma. Before he fell asleep, she said he told her he was okay, just wanted to be held. I felt bad. He had fallen asleep clutching an icepack to his mouth. Tresa pointed out the goose egg on his forhead and the scrape on his cheek, and his mouth had swelled up a lot.

He's awake now. We put together some icy-juice, pancakes and oatmeal. He said the bump in his mouth was gone, but his lip is really swollen. So he's drooling a lot. I'll put on some polysporin on his scrapes again after he eats breakfast.
His spirit seems good, almost like nothing happened. But no school today. He didn't want the kids to keep asking "what happened?" he said with a lisp and some drool.
I think I'm going to get him one of those full face helmets. Maybe one for me too. And maybe some little gloves.
I didn't think these bike accidents were a genetic thing.