So I got Steve a bicycle pump for Father's day.
On Sunday, after Steve made use of his "present," he suggested a family bike ride.
The destination: to see The Eagles.
Not the band but the eagles that have made their home near a bike trail 6+ miles away.
The girls grumbled about going for a bike ride.
We assured them that it would be a neat thing.
G whined about having viewed the eagle web cam every. single. day. during the school year because her homeroom teacher was obsessed with them.
We all wore helmets, they grumbled some more about having to wear helmets.
We biked amidst the grumbling.
3 miles into the trip G's bike seat started twisting and turning until it sank as low as it could get.
We did not have the tools to tighten it back up to its correct position.
This would not have been a problem except she had grown about three inches since the last time she biked.
So her unadjustable seat made her bike now fit for a 10 year old.
Do you know how hard it is to climb hills in a bike too small for you?
I don't.
But K does because she switched bikes with G.
We biked 3 more miles until we saw the eagles.
While Steve and I admired the soaring sight, the girls grumbled a little bit more, not about biking but about having to view eagles they were not remotely interested in.
In total K ended up biking 9.5 miles in the small bike with a wiggly seat just so G would not have a hard time.
Do you know how ridiculously funny a 5'7 tall, 15 year old girl looks biking in a tiny bike?
(I will post a picture if she will let me.)
Yet she did it anyway without being asked to, nor complaining.
I often write about the challenges and anguish I endure while raising teenagers, yet today
I write this post in praise of my 15 year old daughter, K.
While biking 12.5 miles as a family to see some eagles was a fulfilling activity (for us parents, not for our daughters) seeing K in a selfless act towards her sister G was downright heartwarming.
I will remember this the next time I feel like strangling her.
