MARK MY WORD: BIRTHDAY BIKE IS REASON TO CELEBRATE

Joni and I majored in crowd control Saturday.

You have to when you invite more than a dozen children to your oldest daughter's 5th-birthday party.

We held the morning party at Kid's World, one of those businesses that thrives because of one simple concept: Parents would rather let a dozen children run wild in the indoor playground than in their own home.

Homes don't come equipped with ball pits, slides and bumper cars. If they did, you'd never get the kids out of the house until they were 21, and maybe not even then.

Fourteen boys and girls showed up for Becca's birthday party.

With that many children, I wondered if we should hire bouncers. Fortunately, many of the moms and dads stayed around to help control the chaos.

Surprisingly, there were no major disasters. No one was lost in the balls or splattered with ice cream.

Our 1-year-old daughter, Bailey, had a great time even though she wasn't old enough to bounce around with the others in the jungle of a playground.

Becca received a ton of toys, which have now taken up permanent residence in our living room.

But her favorite birthday gift dwarfs them all.

Joni and I gave Becca a bicycle. It's purple with big white tires, and training wheels.

"This is one of those great stages of life," Joni told me. "You know, like your first date, your first kiss, your first marriage."

I'm not sure you can equate marriage to a bicycle. Marriages, as far as I know, don't come with training wheels.

We picked the bike up at a local toy store around noon Saturday. I put it carefully in the back of the van.

Had we let her, Becca would have sat on the bike all the way home.

Becca kept reminding Joni to drive carefully with the precious cargo on board.

This isn't just a bike. This bicycle is all dressed up, with everything from a sparkle-decorated seat to a water bottle and bike backpack.

When I was growing up, none of my bikes came with a water bottle or a fancy seat. No one wore helmets.

But times have changed. Kids like those colorful helmets and pads.

At age 5, these kids know it is important to look good when you're cruising down the driveway.

Joni made sure Becca had all the safety gear on before letting her battle the bike.

Becca was so excited she pedaled the bicycle around the living room while she waited for us to finish lunch.

"Don't run over the furniture," I warned as we watched her pedal carefully around the dining room table.

Seated in her high chair, Bailey intently watched the action.

After a quick bite, we all went outside to watch Becca ride the bike. I grabbed my camera and shot photos of the momentous occasion.

At first, she pedaled tentatively. But soon she was navigating around our dead-end street with little trouble.

She crashed the bike only a couple times, and neither time was serious.

I tried to offer her advice, but she was already pedaling on.

At this point, she is still pedaling at a slow speed. That's fine with me. I'm not ready to turn my driveway into a speedway.

I realize Becca's growing up. But I don't want her to speed through childhood. I want her to use the brakes so I can catch up.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.