Layla has been really getting into the biking scene, enjoying the red bike her grandparents have at their home. Her Chinni gave her the idea that she’d also have a bike in Ottawa, so for the last little while all we ever hear about is how she’s going shopping with Chinni to buy a green bike in Canada. With all the love bikes have been getting recently, I asked her if she wanted a bike fro Ebina too. The answer, unsurprisingly enough, was an emphatic yes.
On Saturday, after a long day of shopping, we headed to one shop on our way home to check out the bikes they had. Layla picked out the first bike she saw. It was blue. That was enough. She didn’t even need to try it out for size. I told her that we’d come back the next day after checking out a few other shops in the neighbourhood and she was, thankfully, satisfied with that.
Sunday came and we eventually headed out to a second shop. Layla immediately grabbed a bike and said it was the one she wanted. I asked her if she was sure she could ride it and she nodded. I chuckled as I took the bike off the shelf and put it on the floor, asking her to ride it around the small area we were in. She sat on the 14″ bike and finally realized there was no pedals. We got a sales guy to get some and she rode it around the store for a bit only to find it was a bit small for her.
She tried the 16″ bike and it was too heavy – try as she might she couldn’t move it. It wasn’t that big of a deal, though, because I don’t think the baby blue colour was her first (or second) choice. The 18″ bike the guy recommended was orange with Winnie The Pooh all over it. Surprisingly, she not only could move it but got around pretty good. I asked if she liked it and she said yes. I then asked if she wanted it and she said no. So off to a third store we went.
This time, we found a couple bikes of acceptable colours and sizes, but before our hero even tried the first one she saw something more interesting. Bike helmets! Who needs a bike when you can buy a spiffy blue bike helmet? Layla wanted to try on every helmet there, and I think she did, before finally settling on a sporty blue helmet that anyone would be proud to wear. Luckily, we also found a bike – an 18″ black one with a basket and a hand-brakes! What more could a kid ask for?
The store is about a 20 minute walk from our home and I wasn’t sure how well Layla could ride, especially after seeing her shakily get around the store. As we paid for the bike and helmet, I couldn’t help but imagine a tired, hungry Layla asking to be carried while I had to push this bike all the way home… luckily, my imagination runs wild sometimes. Once we were outside, Layla was off like a rocket. She handled that bike like a pro, flying around corners and down sidewalks – I had to run to keep up. We made it home in record time! I was impressed!
This morning she was so eager, I let her ride the bike to daycare. Even after getting off the bike she refused to take the helmet off, wanting to show everyone her cool new hat. I’m sure if I didn’t take it back home with me, she’d have worn it home when Tamie picked her up (even without the bike!).
What a kid, eh?
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