Bike Win! Eventually

Last summer I bought Munch a Smart Trike from EBay. It was a bargain at £25 or so I thought until I picked it up. It was in working order but was extremely faded and showing years of toddler shaped abuse. Also the bucket on the back, for mum storage, was missing. I was a little disappointed but I reasoned if Munch didn't get much use out of it then at least it hadn't cost a fortune. Which as it turns out was a smart move! I thought that she would love it, being out of the confines of a pushchair, being able to see everything going on.......WRONG! Any passers by might be mistaken into thinking that a child was being murdered every time we tried to put her on that bike! We ended up leaving it in my mum and dad's garage and only getting it out when round there so she could have a look at it. I got a squeaky horn for the handlebars and even fashioned a front basket out of a plastic peg basket so that her favourite toy could ride with her. It didn't work. Eventually the weather got colder and it just got locked in the garage and pretty much forgotten about. 

I met up with a friend of mine and her daughter for coffee a week ago and her 4 year old had brought her micro scooter with her. I noticed Munch's eyes light up at the scooter and was delighted when my friends daughter let her have a go. I couldn't believe my eyes as she got on it and scooted off across the precinct! Unfortunately this led to a massive tantrum after my friends daughter wanted her scooter back, but it got me thinking that maybe it was a good time to try the bike again.

Munch was going to spend Saturday with Nana and Grumps so I asked my dad to get the bike out of the garage and see what would happen. I got a phone call a few hours later to say that she had taken to it like a duck to water and was in and out of it like a yoyo. I was so excited that she finally liked the bike that I couldn't wait to take her out on it myself. So yesterday as it was a lovely sunny day, we got the bike out and I took her for a walk. There were no arguments, no screaming and even when she got out to walk for a bit, there was no complaining to get back in it to walk home. So all in all, patience has worked and I will thank my mum for persuading me to sell it after we had the first tantrum! This summer will be great fun walking with her and her bike. Roll on summer!!