Emma's amazing $5 garage sale bike is gone. She was pretty upset about it when we told her someone took it. She was really confused why someone would take her bike. It is HER bike after all. When my dad heard the news, he was filled with compassion and offered to buy her a new one. I didn't tell Emma and let her believe as her daddy told her that she wouldn't be able to get a bike until she was 4 years old.At Wal-Mart, I was met with a tough choice. The boy's bikes were $40. The girl's bikes were $68-$74. The difference was the pretty tassells on the handle bars of the girl's bike and a backpack on the front. The girls had a choice of Barbie, Bratz, and Disney Princesses. Also, the tires on the girl's bikes are white, while the boy's bikes have black tires.
I ended up buying one, after much anxiety, gnashing of teeth, and an annoyed sale's guy who lifted about 15 bikes down for me. What would have done? Spend more and get her a girly bike with white tires or save $30 for something else and get her the boy bike with so frills?
PS The bike that was stolen that I paid $5 for at a garage sale was a boy bike.
9 comments:
Good choice to go with the boy bike! I would have even if I had 3 girls insead of 3 boys.
I'd choose the boy bike for several reasons: one, it's cheaper (okay, that was a surprise); two, Emma was already used to a boy bike so she probably wouldn't know what she was missing; three, you could always get your own basket and some frilly decorations for a fraction of the price.
One more reason: if you ever have a boy, it will be much easier for the bike to become a hand-me-down since boy items are more neutral than girl ones....that is, if you don't stash it in a bush and it gets stolen again! ;o)
I'm gonna have to go with the boys bike too! Although if the grandparents are paying...
You know, Annie's got a point. All my reasons were if I were paying for it, but when grandparents are paying sometimes splurging is okay. =) Why don't you ask your parents which one they would prefer to be their gift to Emma?
So...I voted and went for the girl bike. We have two boys and two younger girls. (And, before I go further our daughter's first bike was a hand me down from her bigger brother (we'd gotten it at Walmart too!))
Years ago I saw a woman in a store w/ her toddler in the cart. I knew the little guy was a boy but was baffled because he was wearing a girlish outfit and PINK salt water sandals!
Please know that I am not saying a boy bike is in the same camp as dressing a son in his big sister's hand me downs ...but it was a good lesson to me to try to be sensitive to the sex of my children and their subsequent desires resulting from their sex.
Happy riding Little Miss E!
Mrs. M.
Sorry! I think that I would have to vote girl's bike too. There's just something in pink, frilly, sparkly, pretty that stirs a girl's heart. :-) I'm not a girly girl but I do have little girls. But like you said, she was used to a boys bike and doesn't know about the choice. She will love whatever you get!
Okay, this was hard to vote knowing you already bought one, so I told the story to Rick (hubby) and asked him what he would do (mind you he is very 'girly girl" with Madison and gets mad when I put her in blue boy outfits with dogs (Why do all the dog themed outfits come in blue for boys and cats are for girls I never understand...) I digress. Anyway he said without hesitation "I would buy the boy bike...She loved her boy bike, what if she thinks the girl bike is too frilly for the hard riding she does and WHITE TIRES? :-)." So we voted for the boy bike. Either way, good choice to not have her with you and then whatever you bring home is better than her not having anything. Getting something stolen, wow, what a tough concept to learn at such a young age. I am sure whichever one you got was received with happy grins. I can't wait to see photos!
I vote Girl Bike. Nika has the same one. She would flip if she knew she could have had the "Princess" one.
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