Today was a tough day. Waiting for phone calls, 8 weeks or less until Baby O2 comes, too much to do. I was feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, and yet when Reilly asked me to pull over at the playground on the drive home, I conceded and said, "Sure."
I got out of the driver's seat and walked back to her door, and when I opened it, Reilly was yelling, "NO DADDY! I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE."
I should have said, sure, let's go home, get your bike, and ride to the park. Instead, I tried to convince her to get out and just walk over to the playground, while fully knowing that Reilly doesn't bend to peer pressure (which I'm sure will be a good thing one day) and wouldn't get out of the car. So, I literally slammed the door in her face, got in the car, and drove home.
Not my finest moment.
When we pulled into the garage, Reilly was sniffling a bit, so I got her out, gave her a hug, and put on her helmet.
"Let's go to the park."
She rode the whole way without looking back, at times leaving me 100 yards behind, which was a beautiful thing. Previously, she would ride 10 yards, stop to see that I was close by, ride 1o yards, stop again, and so on.
Taking a breath and letting her do what she wanted--ride her bike to the park--ended with a big reward: seeing my girl take a big step into "big-girl-hood."
Even now I'm emotional with guilt at losing my temper with her today, and at the same time smiling knowing that her stubborness should serve her well some day.
Why settle for a walk to the park when you can ride?
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