We went to Walmart yesterday with one thing in mind: mom needed a floaty for the pool (preferably with a cup holder for my iced coffee). I've been wanting one since we opened our pool in early May, but just hadn't made it a priority until now.

As we made our way through the store and just before we reached the pool aisle, we happened upon the new bike section. You see, during the last couple of months, we've been trying to get our son excited about getting a new bike. His current bike is a bit "babyish" and that - combined with pushing the height limit - made him a great candidate for a new model. The problem was that each time we went to the store, he refused to sit on one. Or look at one, for that matter. He just wasn't into it. Until today.


He pointed to the bike of interest and asked me to get it down off the rack for him. Not only did he want to sit on it, he wanted to ride it. Fast. Up one aisle. Down another. My husband and I looked like lunatics trying to catch him. In fact, he almost mowed down my Media Mom counterpart, Betsy, and her husband who were also shopping there. Once they realized who he was, thankfully, they laughed out loud. And, since there's nothing my son likes more than an audience, he went right into performance mode. We smartly gave up trying to stop him and decided we'd just make good use of his excitement and follow him toward the checkout counter. "May I please buy this new bike?", he said proudly.

One of the many things I've learned as a mom is that just when you think you have your kid figured out (he doesn't want a new bike), he surprises you. And, makes you smile.


As you might have guessed, though, I'll need to make a return trip to the store this week. After all, mom's floaty awaits.