tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7936855.post6308427760720831234..comments2023-10-09T05:27:59.888-04:00Comments on Why Won't You Grow?!: WalkingDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587995461067202017noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7936855.post-68648706805522803072008-11-19T15:43:00.000-05:002008-11-19T15:43:00.000-05:00Dave, it has happened to the best of us. I rememb...Dave, it has happened to the best of us. I remember a similar incident a couple years ago. As is often the case on beautiful Sundays, on the way home from church I hatched the idea of a family bike ride down at the greenway. Virginia went along with the idea and the girls begrudgingly agreed. <BR/><BR/>So I started the chore of getting all 4 bikes strapped on the rack on back of the SUV so we could schlep the 1 1/2 mile drive to the greenway. (We can't pedal down there because of about 500 feet of roadway which has no sidewalk - any father leading a family bike ride on that particular section of Kimball Bridge Road should be picked up by the DFACS paddy wagon). In a perfect scenario, it takes about 15 minutes to get the bike rack installed, all the gear and water bottles prepared, and the bikes loaded and secured. But with all 4 bikes this time and no willing assistants, the rack wasn't quite big enough, so I had to do and re-do it a couple times. After about 25-30 minutes of cursing and laboring in the ever-increasing heat I finally was ready to go. <BR/><BR/>I went in to gather the troops but by that time the begrudging agreement had deteriorated into, at best, indifference, and at worst, hostility and resentment. After a few minutes of 2-way cajoling, bargaining, and complaining, my fuse finished its slow burn and I decided that I didn't need the aggravation - so I decided that I would just go enjoy my own ride without the rest of them. So I stormed out, ripped 3 of the 4 bikes off the car, and got ready to go on my way. Then the girls saw that I was mad and said, "OK, Dad, we can still go if you want to". I said no thanks and went on my way.<BR/><BR/>As far as I can remember, we all enjoyed our afternoon much better after the plan was revised. The moral being, if there is one: sometimes you just can't force them into doing the right thing. You just have to hope that you get it right by accident sometimes. <BR/><BR/>And here's an epilogue for you. This year on my Fathers' Day card (which as you know is typically presented on a Sunday morning in June) Julia had written under her signature, "No Greenway Please". :-). <BR/><BR/>-MMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com