New Ride

We have some new wheels around here.  No, not mine, unfortunately.

Just when Punky finally got the hang of coordinating peddling and steering at the same time, her bike broke.  It was unrepairable.  The plastic disc that served as a support for the metal rod between the pedals broke in two pieces.  And she pouted for days while we searched for a new, sturdier replacement. 

I have to say I'm a bit ticked at how quickly and easily her bike broke once she actually started pedaling.  Up until a few weeks ago, the bike was hardly used.  Last summer it was really just a pseudo-stroller.  She sat on it and we pushed her around at a snail's pace.  Well, except for that one incident with the snake, but still.  This summer she started putting her feet on the pedals while we pushed, and she finally tried to make it go all by herself just last month.  We never even had the chance remove the push handle and convert it to a regular tricycle.

Anyway, I was determined to find her a real tricycle, not this plastic crap they sell these days.  I wanted a metal body and real rubber tires.  Something that would grow with her and last through a few summers.  I had an image in my head and I wasn't budging.  It took several stores but I finally found it: a classic Radio Flyer tricycle, retro red, metal frame, solid rubber tires, handlebar tassels, and even an old-fashioned bike bell. 

It was a bit more expensive than I imagined, but it's for ages 2-5 so she should get a few years out of it before she graduates to a two-wheeler.  She insisted her dad put it together immediately, and of course she helped.  She bounced around him in circles, tossing random tools his way and dropping metal bike pieces on his feet.  The anticipation was killing her; he couldn't assemble it fast enough.  As soon as he finished, she jumped right on it in the living room.  

New wheels!

Once we finally got the bike outside, and her new helmet secured to her head, she took off pedaling... and dumped it twenty feet later.  We picked her up, dusted her off, and tried to explain about turning the handlebars gently so it stays upright.  "Okay, Mommy! I can do that!"  She hopped back on, started pedaling... and dumped it again thirty feet later.  We repeated the previous lecture and she was ready to try again.  The third time was the charm and she actually pedaled the entire way around the loop with only one more minor incident that day. 

She getting the hang of it, but turning gently is apparently a hard lesson to learn since she dumps it at least once every time she gets on it.  She's so proud of her new wheels, and her precious smile makes it worth every penny.