TheBanyanTree: Riding to Nowhere

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Spring has come to Minnesota.  The leaves out almost fully out.  The grass
is green.  Spring flowers are blooming.  I don’t need to wear a winter
jacket anymore.

And the boys of summer have returned.  They’re a year older, a little bit
taller, and have buzz cuts instead of hair.

The three year old is moving away from adoring dinosaurs and is getting
obsessed with Spiderman and the Power Rangers.  He likes to watch “The Lion
King.”

He can count “1, 2, 5.”  He forgets there is a 3 and 4.  But he knows when I
hold up three fingers on one hand and three fingers on the other hand that
it’s two sets of threes.

He’s proud he’s three years old, but will lie about his age if he’s around
other three year olds.  Age is like a competition for him, and darn if he
isn’t going win it.  He’ll spread out his five fingers on one hand and claim
to the other child that he is five years old and not three.

This little boy is still uncomfortable, not really shy, around people he
doesn’t know.  I can see him withdraw into himself if there are too many
strangers around.  He has no problem expressing himself about people.  He’ll
point at our neighbor girl and tell straight her out, “I don’t like you.”

This boy LOVES sweets.  Through him I can see how bad eating habits start,
and I can’t help but wonder if some of our eating habits aren’t genetic.  He
would eat constantly if we would let him.  He’s not overweight now, but I
can see that happening if he doesn’t watch himself.  He doesn’t say no to
candy bars, cookies, cake, or ice cream.

His tall, lean five year old brother is waiting to begin the adventure of
school this fall.  The five year can write both versions of his name –
Boogie and Quincy.  He’s discovered how to write and read short words.  He’
ll write his words out and then cut around them, making little flashcards.
He’s been able to read numbers since he was two.  He uses chopsticks to eat
Asian food like a native.  He loves video games and will play them by the
hour.

He eats healthy food.  He requests salads for dinner.  He’ll eat vegetables.
He likes sweets, but he has an internal thing in his brain that seems to
tell him to stop eating when he’s full.  He’s in constant motion.  I doubt
he’ll ever be heavy or need to worry about his weight.

It was in the 80s last weekend.  The full dumpster was outside of the
garage.  And the garage was clean.  We could actually find things again.
And Boogie found his bike immediately.  I pumped air into the tires, and
then Ray took off the training wheels.  Boogie got on and off he went down
the street.  He’s a little herky jerky.  He crashes to the street sometimes,
but he pops back up and gets on and keeps going.

I pumped air into my bike’s tires, too.  I got on and got the bike going.  I
was a little herky jerky as well, but I got the hang of it soon enough.  I
took my turns carefully and didn’t fall.  If I fell, I knew I wouldn’t be
able to pop back up, these old bones would just lie there on the street.

I bought a plastic car at a garage sale a couple of years ago for the little
one.  The car is one of those that kids sit in and move it with their feet –
kind of like the Flintstones.  However, Poochie pushes his car from behind.
He looks like a madman pushing this orange car as fast as he can.

Bikes were ready and Poochie had his orange car, and off we went down the
street.  Then up the street.  Then down the street.  We must have looked
like a rather strange parade.  A grandma on a green bike, a boy on a small
black bike, and Pooch chugging right behind his orange car.  We’d stop and
get gas sometimes.  And the gas was always free!  Then we resumed our ride
back up and down the street.

The sun was shining.  Some of the neighbors were swinging on a tire swing.
We could hear lawn mowers growling.  We had no destination.  We weren’t
going to the Black Hills.  We weren’t going to the store.  We weren’t going
anywhere.  We just rode our bikes (and pushed our car) for the joy of moving
on a beautiful spring afternoon.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at earthlink.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
Be a star!

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.
Enjoy the trip.
  ~Author Unknown