New Bikes

You saw the pictures of the girls on their new bikes, so here is the story. Emma picked out a Strawberry Shortcake bike, which is better than Dora but not as desirable as Princesses (for me, that is). The SS bike is a 14 inch bike, and a 12 inch one would have fit her better, but she saw it and the deal was done. She wouldn't even try the other bikes. Funny thing is that in the picture she is wearing her Cinderella helmet and knee pads (which have come in very useful, thank you very much) from her roller skates she got on her birthday, her Dora shoes and her SS bike. A wide appeal, I suppose. We got Mary her own little trike thing since you cannot give Emma a new bike without Mary wanting her own. Our neighbors have this one and she has really taken a liking to it, so we got it. She can, in fact, propel herself on this thing, but it is more a Flinstone movement than a pedaling thing. That does not keep her back, let me tell you. The first day we had it, Mary pushed herself around the neighborhood for *****2 HOURS***** without stopping. By the time we were done, MY feet hurt and I was crabby. But little Mary will not be disuaded. She just plugs away at it. Emma never could figure those things out. We had a tricycle for her that she has never used, but it remains too large for Mary. She was incapable of pedaling OR steering, which led to wild perabulations in ragged circles, pushing Emma along gamely with the hope that she would figure out how to turn the handle bars to the left, just this once. I gave up on the self propelled idea and usually pulled her and Mary in the wagon when we walked anywhere. But the girls next door have bikes and Emma was just crushed that she had nothing of the sort. Mary then claimed their big wheel thing for her own and the outside time we would have was beginning to get a bit dicey. So we caved to peer pressure and made a trip to Toys R Us. 2 bikes later, we were in business.

Unfortunately, this should be a non-Mommy intensive thing and yet IT IS NOT. I cannot get a free minute where Emma does not need a little push to get up a small hill or Mary is in the grass and thinks it is quicksand and I must get her out RIGHT THEN before she perishes. It is amazing to me that any activity somehow, inexpicably, must involved every second of my time. You might get from this little rant that it irks me, bothering me to a new level of distraction that is not natural. You might think that I am being a little unreasonable and should cherish this time with my toddler daughters instead of wishing them along on their normal development. You might think that being a stay at home mom makes these little things seem so much larger and I should really get a grip on myself. You might also think that it is a hard business, being a mom to two little kids who constantly need need need every spare minute and available breath that you have stored up and a small break in the daily routine of servicing somebody's need every minute of the day and night would be a welcome respite. Well, dear friend, you might be right.