Biking Adventure

Our family often takes a bike ride to the Dairy Queen for a treat. This is generally the only way we can talk my husband into ice cream, is to pair it with exercise.

Last Saturday night my husband went to a College Football game with friends. The boys and I being all alone decided to ride bikes to Blockbuster for Diary of a Wimpy Kid and to Subway for dinner. No big deal, they are right next to the Diary Queen so it's a familiar ride. The new part was talking the four-year-old who had a two hour nap into riding his own bike.

My seven-year-old did a great job of helping me talk it up and convince the four-year-old that he could "ride with the big dogs". So off we went. We were doing great,even on the big hills which is where I though for sure the four-year-old would melt. Then the training wheel went haywire - in the middle of a crosswalk.

I jump off my bike and grab him and the bike to get all of it across the street before some crazy Midwest anti-biking driver runs us over. I tried to push the training wheel back in place, meanwhile the seven-year-old is racing ahead of us 50 yards and now the four-year-old in between sobs is screaming at the top if his lungs for his brother to STOP!

We happen to be by a little public garden so I told him not to worry we would put his bike here and come back for it. He could ride with me in his bike seat. The seven-year-old pipes up, "It won't be there when we come back because someone will steal it." This sends the already hysterical four-year-old into further fits. He is now alternating between, "I can't wide wike Daddy. I no good at bike wides!" and "Someones gonna take my bike away forevor."

I asked both of my children to have a little more faith that God is watching over us and there are more good people in the world than bad.

We finally get to Blockbuster and to Subway and head back toward the park and home. As we near the park, I see my neighbors car. She takes care of the gardens. Thank you God! I asked if she has any tools and low and behold she only has a wrench. I told the boys that this is exactly what I was talking about, God is watching and helping. We fixed the training wheel and all headed off once again.

It didn't take 30 seconds for the seven-year-old to be 50 yards ahead of us, the training wheel to fly up, and the four-year-old to start crying all over again. "See mom, I told you I can't truwst God!"

Lesson learned? Maybe for mom. No more bike rides without a wrench.