When my mother-in-law presented my daughter with a shiny new bicycle on her seventh birthday, the whole family was thrilled. It was a vibrant pink with silver streamers flowing from the handlebars, and it had a tiny basket adorned with little daisies that perfectly matched my daughter’s style. She had been asking for a bicycle for months, and seeing her face light up with joy was worth every moment of anticipation leading up to her birthday.
For the next few weeks, my daughter, Lily, was inseparable from her new set of wheels. Every day after school, she would race to the backyard, put on her helmet, and ride in circles, her laughter echoing through the neighborhood. She quickly learned to balance, pedal, and even mastered a few beginner tricks that left us all in awe. It was, in every sense, the perfect gift, or so I thought.
