Day 263 – Skate Date

On Saturday, the four Fullertons headed out to the local rink and did some skating.

Ok, Wes didn’t skate.  He sat in his stroller and barely complained about being held hostage.  Jaia, on the other hand, did skate.  It was her first time on single blades – the very ones that she asked Santa for.  Hockey skates with pink laces.  My girl knows what she likes…

Well, Santa delivered.  And though we’ve had them for over a month, we hadn’t had the time to use them yet.  But Jaia was pumped.  I don’t think she really thought about how hard skating can be – or at least how hard the ice is when you hit it bum first.

To be honest though, I was amazed at her.  Just like with skiing/snowboarding, I wasn’t a fan growing up.  My parents tried everything to pique my interest: figure skates, molded skates, hockey skates – but nothing worked.  It was cold and I was much more content to be in my comfy, warm winter boots watching everyone skate.  But not Jaia.  She is not content to watch.  She wants to be a part of the action.  And she wants to be good, if not great at everything she tries.

The first 20 minutes were fantastic.  She took risks.  She pulled away from our reach so she could do it on her own and skated (farther from me than I liked).  And then she fell.  Funny at first.  But after the 5th time, her bum started to hurt and her enthusiasm waned.   It was time to go home before she began to associate skating with falling rather than fun.

So it was short, but it was awesome.  I think the best part for me was lacing up my own skates, also a Christmas gift, though mine were dusty from a couple of years at the back of the closet.  Feeling Jaia’s excitement at the prospect of heading out onto the ice made me want to go with her, to see experience it with her, but this time, not from the sidelines.