Thanks, all. North Coast Joe, that's excellent advice, and pretty much what I have hoped will happen. Is your son doing well riding it? My husband bought our grandson, who has Asperger's (and, at 12, has never been on a bike of any kind), a regular 26" street bike, but it's clearly not something he can learn on. He's only 5 ft tall.
350htrr, I have thought about adding some suspension, but for now I'll just try to rebalance myself.
BlazingPedals, initially I ordered a 7-speed trike. After waiting almost a MONTH, and receiving only one "shipping delayed" email, I called the company and finally, after multiple phone calls (you know how that goes), learned that the trike was "LOST" in shipping, and that they couldn't imagine when they could get another. My next option of even 3 speeds was more than twice the price of the Meridian. I had been checking Craigslist and eBay everyday, and reading thousands of reviews. I have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, chondromalacia in both knees, will probably have to have replacement surgery someday, but couldn't afford the time off work now. I don't think I'm "cheating" by putting electric-assist on my trike. I feel like I'm just giving myself a fighting chance.