Blue Love

Rhyle (4) loves to ride bicycles. He moved from the smallest bike we have (a blue bike with training wheels that Owen received as a third birthday gift) to the smallest bike sans training wheels. He rode that for awhile and then attempted the size up.

I should interject a disclaimer here. Our family has more bicycles than we do people. Seriously. We have been given bikes as gifts, inherited hand-me-down bikes, and salvaged bikes from the side of the road. Hence, many bicycle choices. (And also, many imperfections: a chain that won't stay on, a wobbly tire, brakes that don't work, etc.) Our shed is full of things with wheels. And I suspect that a boy has very strong feelings toward his bicycle. Something akin to a boy and his dog.

Now that Rhyle has been riding "2 wheels" successfully for quite some time, he thinks he ought to be able to ride any bike he wants. He will lower the seat and ride Owen's three speed, or choose from the other two bikes that are his size (appropriately named the lightning bike and the old bike.) We never know which bike he will take out of the shed when he says he is going to get "HIS" bike.

Today he asked Braden to help him get the original little blue bike out of the shed. It was in the far back of the queue. Braden hesitated, reminding him that it is really too small for him now and the chain doesn't stay on.

Rhyle said, "That's okay!"

Braden hemmed a bit more and Rhyle exclaimed, "But I love this bike! And I'm not going to take my love away from it."