OT: Bike update

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone for the notes, I'm going to reply to everyone with one post. I found a website with good information about sizes and decided he needed a 24" or 26" bike. Then I went to Walmart and tried a few out in both sizes (he's about my size, maybe taller but I won't admit to it yet) and decided definitely the 24". It was $88 and in a royal blue color I knew he'd love, so I bit the bullet and bought it. When he came home from school I had it in the garage waiting and he was shocked and thrilled. He rode it to take care of the cats and as he was going there, he decided to check a spot in the brush, off the path he takes, just in case someone had pulled a prank and stuck his old bike in the bushes and sure enough, there it was. It was light green and blended in with the bushes and would have been way off from where he could have noticed it (he was very upset too) walking home yesterday so he didn't see it. This is across the street from my friend's house too and I didn't even think to look over there when I was looking for it yesterday, I only looked on her side of the street and in bushes closer to her house. He was coming sort of towards it on the way there today and decided to look. He said it looked as though someone had thrown it in there, way off the path. We think some kid took it, then decided it was too small and in too lousy condition to keep and threw it in the bushes (it is a 20" bike, lots of rust, brakes in poor shape but working well enough, it really did need to be replaced anyway). Being a mom who has been through the ringer with this kid this school year I have to admit, I did suspect his story a little (we'd had words before he'd gone to feed the cats yesterday too) but between the look of pure horror and near tears when I asked "Where's your bike?" yesterday and the fact that he didn't add anything to the story or even look like he was lying (this kid is one terrible liar, thank goodness), the fact that I could not see how he could benefit from it (he had no idea I would actually get him a new bike) and it did seem reasonable (I poked around the bushes a bit to see if he could have gotten it out easily without being scratched up and he could have) I am choosing to believe him. I know I might seem awful, but he doesn't know I was at all suspicious and won't.

Sigh. It worked out for the best I guess. I couldn't really afford it but we do have our tax refund we've been trying not to spend completely so it will have come from that. Biking is the only form of exercise he really enjoys too, we don't have many kids his age near us and he doesn't like to go out and play by himself or even all that much with his sister and the other bike would have become too small for him to ride at all comfortably by mid or end of summer probably too so I can justify the expense a million ways and am peaceful with it... tis done. Thanks for your caring and support!