Katherine, you
recently got to try out a bicycle at a friend’s house and you loved it!! You
started dreaming of your own bike – it should be pink and have a Minnie Mouse
on it, or Hello Kitty, or Little Ponies, or… or… - but it must be pink and have
a little basket in the front!
The bike you
have had up to know has served you well - and while not pink, it has taught you
the basic skills of how to use a bike. A balance bike, it doesn’t have any
pedals and in all fairness you have been outgrowing it a bit (and growing is
something you’ve been doing at lighting speed lately!)
So your daddy
and I have decided the time has come for a “big girl” bike with pedals (and
training wheels!)… and today was the day to go shopping for your new bike.
After visiting a
few stores and not finding quite what we were looking for (safety first – no,
the bike with no hand break was not an option!) we walked into the bike section
of a store and there it was – a white and pink Hello Kitty bike with pink rims,
a pink seat, a pink bag on the front – and pink and silver streamers on the sides
of the handle bar! “I love it” was your first reaction, followed by a not so
convincing “it’s wobbly” (as you got on it and the training wheels shifted side
to side, helping you stay on it). But you were determined and after a little
frustration, some “push me, push me” requests you were pedaling up and down the
aisle in the store by yourself. We found your bike!
The lady at the
cash register couldn’t stop smiling as she saw your proud face and excitement when
we were paying for your new ride - and all plans for the rest of the afternoon
went on hold as we had to get home quickly because you were ready to ride!
Daddy got your
new and my (not so new) bike ready for us to begin our first adventure… because
riding in the driveway just wouldn’t do. Your excitement made more than up for
the learning curve (ok, we had both had a little moment where we almost turned
back around after about 5 minutes of being out, but we quickly got over that) –
and in no time at all you were riding your bike in the neighbourhood. We had so
much fun and your training wheels kept you (mostly) upright.
You are teaching
me that with learning anything new there will be little bumps – in this case
quite literally… bigger bumps on the path got your bike to tip twice on our
outing and catapulted you from the bike to the ground. Both times you hurt
yourself a little (nothing serious, but I’m sure it must have been unpleasant),
and both times you cried for a moment, but then you dusted yourself off and got
back on the bike and we continued on. I am proud of you for not getting discouraged
and not giving up. As we were riding along, I realized that we were on the same
path we used to take when I was pushing you in the stroller when you were
really little… and today we were riding side by side on our bikes. How far you
have come… I love you always and forever.
