Never Too Old for Roller Skates

Breadwinning Mom:  Today was my day off.  My daughter begged me to take her roller skating after school.  She’s been dying to learn in prep for her 8th birthday bash later this year.  My first inclination was to catch up on chores instead.  Something I virtually never do successfully on the weekends as an event, phone call or work issue inevitably arises.  But who could resist those sad brown puppy dog eyes in the car line at pick up.  “But mom, you promised.”  In that moment, I knew what I needed to do…however at the same time, terror took over.  I’m nearly 45 years old and have NO business roller skating with a bunch of tweens and teenagers.  They will have a field day watching me weave and wobble my way around the rink, not to mention a swift fall and there goes a hip, sprained ankle or bruise to the elbow!  However, my loving husband saw the anxiety in my face and offered to accompany us.  Of course, he wouldn’t skate…but he took my daughter by the hand and walked her around the rink at least 2 dozen times promising to have her skating at ‘expert level’ in no time.  I attempted to show her some moves…but all she wanted was her Daddy in the end.  It was actually very sweet watching them together.  How could I be upset?  We had a lovely time and I escaped injury free.  Who knew how liberating roller skates, flashing lights and Rihanna blasting on the sound system would be 🙂

Stay-at-home Daddy:  Bottom line, I love teaching my daughter personally.  Especially if I am competent in that skill or activity.  In this case, I never learned how to skate, but I was able to teach her about balance, center of gravity and proper weight distribution.  I took her to the center of the skating rink. I held her left hand and circled counter clockwise until she was able to keep her legs stable.  After several rounds, she began to create her own forward momentum, just enough for me to walk beside her while still holding her hand.  We have practiced twice already.  If we continue this practice, she should be confident enough to go solo in one or two practices.  My wife and I have different skill sets and a knowledge base we can share with our daughter.  It is so rewarding to watch my wife and daughter spend quality time together and be hands-on. This is especially true since the female workforce in our American landscape is becoming more prevalent.  We full-time stay-at-home dads must always remember to be patient, understanding and loving towards those who we care for.