Bike!
Miette outgrew her bicycle so we replaced it with a taller one, and we decided to get bicycles for the whole family. I had not ridden a bike in close to 30 years and so I was fairly convinced that I would end up in the hospital from the world's most ridiculous bike accident, like running into a deer or something. I was never that keen on riding a bike even when I was a kid, but we want to encourage Miette to ride her bike more and we figured that if everyone in the family was doing it she'd be more enthusiastic. (She does like to ride her bike, but only for like 10 minutes at a time.)
So, bikes all around. This is what I bought:
I didn't want anything fancy or expensive. It is pink, has really wide tires, and no gears, because:
1. pink is obviously better than any other color;
2. I hoped the wide tires would translate to more stability; and
3. I was certain that I couldn't handle switching gears and staying upright at the same time, and it's not like we're ever going to ride anywhere other than in the neighborhood at home.
My helmet is purple and I fucking hate it. I felt like SUCH an asshole in it. I'm assuming that will stop as I wear it more often but last night, man...ugh. I honestly considered riding without it, except that I don't want Miette to think that a helmet is optional. Ugh.
So anyway, last night we went riding for the first time and I DID NOT FALL. It was wobbly at first, and I never really relaxed (my shoulders actually hurt today from holding them so tightly last night while I was riding and waiting to fall over and die) but I rode it! And no one got hurt. I think it helped that we were going at Miette's speed, which is very very slow. In fact she was slower than usual last night because she was riding her new, taller and heavier bike for the first time and she was getting used to the extra 2 inches. So nice and slow, which worked out great for me.
And it was so fun! Waiting-to-fall-and-die tension aside, it was super fun. We only rode for about 25 minutes but still. Super fun. I think we're going to make it a nightly thing, after dinner and right before dark so we don't all die of heat stroke (it was still over 90 degrees at 8:30 pm when we went out). So much fun.
So, bikes all around. This is what I bought:
I didn't want anything fancy or expensive. It is pink, has really wide tires, and no gears, because:
1. pink is obviously better than any other color;
2. I hoped the wide tires would translate to more stability; and
3. I was certain that I couldn't handle switching gears and staying upright at the same time, and it's not like we're ever going to ride anywhere other than in the neighborhood at home.
My helmet is purple and I fucking hate it. I felt like SUCH an asshole in it. I'm assuming that will stop as I wear it more often but last night, man...ugh. I honestly considered riding without it, except that I don't want Miette to think that a helmet is optional. Ugh.
So anyway, last night we went riding for the first time and I DID NOT FALL. It was wobbly at first, and I never really relaxed (my shoulders actually hurt today from holding them so tightly last night while I was riding and waiting to fall over and die) but I rode it! And no one got hurt. I think it helped that we were going at Miette's speed, which is very very slow. In fact she was slower than usual last night because she was riding her new, taller and heavier bike for the first time and she was getting used to the extra 2 inches. So nice and slow, which worked out great for me.
And it was so fun! Waiting-to-fall-and-die tension aside, it was super fun. We only rode for about 25 minutes but still. Super fun. I think we're going to make it a nightly thing, after dinner and right before dark so we don't all die of heat stroke (it was still over 90 degrees at 8:30 pm when we went out). So much fun.