Last weekend we went biking for a real ride. We got a tag-a-long for my wife’s bike (which I had the honor to pedal) and the other three kiddies rode their own bikes. My youngest daughter (4) in the tag-along, oldest daughter (7) on the bike she just learned to ride and my boys (9 and 10) on theirs.
Man, what a great time. We have these paved trails running through our neighborhood and the surrounding ares. We tore it up. Up hill, down hill, around corners… AWESOME.
The best was the constant commentary coming from my youngest. “Daddy not so fast… Daddy go faster… Hey look at that bird… Hey stop swaying… Mommy look at me…” Real fun.
Until!!!! My seven year old was racing downhill and took her eye off the trail to look at a barking dog. She slipped off the pavement and wiped out. Totally. Road rash on her knee and a big purple bruise on her hip. She was crying and didn’t want to ride anymore. She wanted to walk home. . . Which meant we would have to walk home as well. No way was I going to do that. She kept crying that she wanted to walk. . .
At which point I told her: “Girl you need to MAN UP and get back on that bike!”
My wife, known for her glare, turned one on me that made my eyebrows smoke.
My daughter, sniffled, stopped crying and — eventually — rode home. I got to experience the joy of sleeping on the couch.
- Barry
Tags: A Dude's Guide to Babies, A Dude's Guide to Kids, advice, Ares, Bikes, Bruise, Couch, daughter, Dude's, Eyebrows, fatherhood, Glare, Great Time, Kiddies, Mommy, Neighborhood, Paved Trails, Pavement, Rash On, Real Fun, Road Rash, Whiped, Youngest Daughter