'I decided I could and it was easy' PARENT TRAP with Rachel Mainwaring.

Byline: Rachel Mainwaring

I'M trying to take a leaf out of my daughter's book.

Because when it comes to sheer willpower and determination, she certainly seems to have lashings more of it than me.

Take this weekend for example.

We had friends visiting with three children under six, so when it came to playing nicely, I think it's fair to say we were expecting the odd firework.

But the first day, when they were getting to know each other and my two were having to share their toys, things seemed to run very smoothly.

But as I was putting Molly to bed that night, she seemed rather put out, not quite the excited little thing I thought she'd be with a new friend to stay.

When I asked her what was wrong, she replied that she wasn't happy because she hadn't won the magic slipper game, the magic mirror game or the brand new Bratz game she won in a raffle at school.

She said she had shared nicely, told them how to play each game and STILL hadn't won.

I told her she had been a good girl sharing and that you can't win them all, but it seems failing isn't in my number one child's vocab-ularjust yet.

After a peaceful night with little drama (apart from having to put up with a snoring daughter fidgeting in my bed) we trundled off to the park with visiting family in tow for a day of fresh air by the sea, a picnic and some fun and games.

When we arrived Molly stared in awe as she watched a shiny new bike being taken out of our friend's car.

And not only was it a bike (something which we had failed to put in our boot) it was also one WITHOUT stabilisers.

Molly said nothing (although it was clear her little brain was ticking away with an idea) and looked on hugely impressed as her mate cycled off into the distance without a wobble.

And so the fun began. The picnic was eaten within minutes by five hungry kids, the dads did a fine job entertaining the boys with ball games and Molly watched on happily as her mate showed her cycling skills.

Molly has only ever tried riding a bike unaided once, which resulted in a quick wobble, getting shirty with daddy and announcing she didn't want to go without them anyway and her bike looked better with them on and she'd keep them on forever.

And as I was telling that particular story to my mates, I heard, 'Mum, mum, look at me! I can do it!' as she whizzed past without a care in the world - on the bike without stabilisers!

She looked like she'd been riding a bike for years and didn't resemble the scared little girl from a year ago.

When we got home, she searched for a spanner, the stabilisers came off her bike within minutes and she hasn't looked back since.

And when I asked her that night how she had suddenly worked out how to do it, she said: "I just decided I could and it was easy."

Not a bad philosophy to life's challenges.

MUMS WILL LOVE

This pretty picnic hamper is perfect for those lovely summer days out in the fresh air with your family. Priced pounds 30 from www.littlewoods.com, it's a great way of carrying all that lovely food.I heard, 'Mum, mum, look at me! I can do it!' as she whizzed past