To buy of not not to buy

Like any other kids, I know that one day I had to face the reality that they will be released to the real world on their own. No choice that I have to let them socialize , be with friends and spend time outdoors. In fact now, there are. They attended morning religious school at 7.45am, then go to their relieve nursery at 11.00am , then leave for school at 12.30pm until 6.30pm. And during night, they attended the Koran reading class until 9.30pm. And yet , they still insist to go for tuition.  They are now 8 and 9. When I was at their age, I guess I have much more longer free time compare to them. I already had a bicycle own my own, small bike, enough to take me to the nearest grocery shops to buy daily stuff for my mom to cook. The most famous items were grinded coconut or my mom calls it "Kelapa Parut" , fish , vegetables etc. In the afternoon, I will cycle to my friends house or the nearest soccer field, we will play together until dawn, or until one of the kids told us that our parents are looking for us. Then we shall stop and go back home.  Those days,  back in 80's, most of the games were outdoor , even though I used to own video games and stuff like that  , but still, outdoor adventures were much more fun. I do remember, how i beg my parents to buy me a bike. Almost daily follow up until I got one. Those days, not having one means you are out of the social network.

Few years back , my wife bought them a small bike each, which only last less than a year, before the accessories were vandalized and removed, by them. No more brakes, handles were also being broken off and spoilt tires. Now they became scrap metals at the backyard of our house. Recently the desire in them to have another set of bike came back, since some of their peers are riding here and there. I told my wife that sooner or later, these kids will go into the real world, that we would have no choice than to release them. I just hope that I could delay this process, even though it is inevitable. Delay is one thing, but most importantly is to figure out how to release them correctly and decently. Things around us are much more different than those days.  Crime rates, unexpected people, are increasing. These days people got lots of wild ideas from the internet, so you are hardly can guess what can go wrong around you. At the same time, I am also wishing them to be extroverts. Get socialize, build some network on their own and learn some leadership. These are equally important. So, to my kids, Intan and Adam, be patient , the world is always not enough. So to buy or not to buy a bike , it's just a matter of time.