Mobile Daughter

When my Sydney was 6 I bought her a bicycle. I got a bike for myself too, so that once she knew how to ride I could go for rides with her. It was going to be fantastic, exciting, we'd go on adventures together. We went out and kept trying to get her to learn to ride the bike, she would fall, say I pushed her off, and then wouldn't get on it again. Over the last three and a half years I have tried time and again to get her to ride that bike, but to no avail. Last year I gave up on the idea of long family bike rides and gave my mountain bike away to someone who would use it. I didn't like the bike anyway, I'd rather have a beach cruiser. So yesterday I was in the thrift store, and I saw an old Huffy bike sitting there, it was $4, no visible damage, ugly as sin, pink and purple, puffy little seat, so on a whim I had her sit on it, perfect fit, I bought it, an old helmet, and I took the bike to the gas station for some air in the tires. We went to a baseball game last night, she took the bike with her. The bike is tall enough for me to hold a handle bar while she rides. She was insistent that she could not do it on her own. So I helped her, until my arm was tired and I got to playing with my former neighbor's two year old while they coached the ball game of the 7 year old. We were going to the car for a sweater, Sydney insistent that I help her, me telling her I didn't have a hand to help her with, so then suddenly off she went, she was riding the two wheeler, BY HERSELF, tears in my eyes as she sped past me, baby and I jumping up and down cheering Sidy on, OH OH OH. So, she is mobile now, first a little bike, then a bigger bike, then only 7 years from now, a drivers license. This is the hard part, I know, I've said it before, this is the hard part though, letting her go bit by bit, my baby girl.