The other day I was thinking about Annika’s approaching fourth birthday. (FOUR!!) I was thinking about things that I enjoyed when I was four, when I realized that sometime when I was four I learned to ride a bike without training wheels. (I think that’s right – Mom, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.) Suddenly I panicked! Annika was almost four years old, and the only tricycle she’s ever had has a broken seat and only one pedal. She’s never even owned a bike – how is she supposed to learn how to ride one?! I realized I was overreacting, but I felt like I had been denying my daughter one of the great joys of childhood, and it weighed heavily on my mind. And yet, I felt trapped. She had a birthday coming, so the obvious solution would be to buy a bike. However, we were likely to be packing up and shipping off all of our household goods soon after, so what was the point of buying one only to ship it right away? Then there’s the matter of where she would ride it here anyway. We live on a busy street, so I can’t let her just ride outside, and driving somewhere to ride a bike is kind of a pain. So Brad and I talked and decided not to buy her a bike. But I kept thinking about it, feeling bothered that we wouldn’t be able to get Annika a bike until at least the end of the summer.
Then we went to the thrift store for a quick trip a couple days ago, browsing to see if we could pick up some clothes for the girls. And lo and behold, there in the back of the store, Annika found a little pink bike with training wheels for only $10. It was probably not the bike I would have chosen, but it was definitely the bike Annika would have chosen. We handed over the ten dollars, and just like that, Annika was the (very) proud owner of a new set of wheels. To say that Annika is a natural would not only be exaggerating, but would be lying. Annika is our most cautious child and takes her time learning new skills, especially when they involve even a slight risk of bodily harm. I took Annika out back while Brad was still at work to try out her bike. She was excited to be riding, but got stuck each time one of the pedals got to the top of its rotation. We never got very far (and Lucy trailed two feet behind me the entire time screaming until she was hoarse. That girl needs her sleep.)
The next day was a Saturday, and Brad determined that teaching his girls to ride a bike was definitely a Dad priority, so we loaded up the kids and headed to the track. It took a good talk about the hard things being the most worthwhile, and the importance of practicing, but in the end she got it, and she loved it. She did a whole mile around the track, at roughly a 30 minute pace. We walked around and around with her, chatting, singing songs, and enjoying her ear-to-ear smile.
Brad wins Dad of the year award. We are lucky girls to have him around.
We brought Lucy and Elise their scooters. They are more athletically inclined than their big sister, but were only interested for a couple of minutes.
Annika asked me if I would please do a video, so here it is:
I’m so proud of my girl. Slow and steady wins the race anyway, right?
5 comments
Mom - I’m sitting behind the piano in primary watching this video over and over and I can’t stop laughing! Anni Bananni I sure love you!!
Cristine - Annika reminds me SO much of Anya… very cautious and physical things take a little longer to get the hang of. Tell her I said GREAT JOB!!!! And that video CRACKED me up! Love it!!!!!! This post reminds me I need to get the tire on Anya’s bike fixed so we can practice some more. We took off her training wheels last year but only practiced a few times. I guess since her 7th birthday is coming up we should work on it a bit more!
Taniel - Isaac and I laughed pretty hard at that video. You are too cute Anni, and yes, that bike is just perfect for you.
Uma - Sometimes I wonder if it was the influence of the April moon on our girls that made them so delicate like spring flowers. Chase and Annika can totally go biking together. They are at the exact same pace and probably would spend more time complimenting each other on their outfits and bike accessories than actually pedaling.
Monics - So I’m not sure how I missed this blog BUT 10 dollars?? So jealous. Ry’s was like 6 times that!
Also She is about the same as Ry and Ryan is not the super cautious kid. Although I thought that first part of the video was real and was like WOW!! 
HAHAHA Great job Anni!