If you live in the Kansas City area (or know someone who does), don’t forget to enter my Mother’s Day giveaway! 

Last week, my preschooler had bike day at school. It was supposed to coincide with W week (for wheels, you know) but of course, it was rained out. So, they had it a week later.

The morning of, Ivy (who will be five in July but is small compared to the rest of her class) told me that she wanted to take the Radio Flyer tricycle to ride on. She’s been riding that thing on the back “porch” (otherwise known as a concrete slab about six foot by eight foot off the back door) religiously for a few weeks, so I knew she was more than comfortable on it. She also said that she was scared to ride the actual bike (with training wheels).

Side note: we live in the country with a fairly long (but gravel) driveway, right off the highway. In other words, the end of the driveway meets up with a two-lane county highway. Other than the concrete slab on the back of the house, the kids don’t have any place to ride a bike or scooter at our house. And with four kids, I’m not in the habit of loading everyone up, along with four bikes/trikes/ride-on toys, to drive ten minutes to a park.

We pack up her helmet and trike and head off to school. As I carry the wheels of choice into the classroom, I whisper to her teacher “she won’t be the only one with a trike, will she?”

Her teacher assured me that she wouldn’t be the only one, and as I saw in the line outside the classroom, there were a couple of other three-wheelers among the shiny princess and superhero bikes.

When I came back to pick her up, she still had a few minutes to ride, and she was so happy. With legs too long for the little trike, her smile was wide as she went round and round the parking lot.

My sweet girl didn’t care, so I know I shouldn’t have either. But I couldn’t help but think of what the other moms thought of her, and when I could get her a real bike. Maybe one with streamers like the sun-faded Radio Flyer. And a basket like the other girls’ bikes.

Do you have those moments, when you wish your kids had the same as everyone else?