Inspiration

Generally I like to write funny things.  Things that I know all parents can relate to. Even when you feel you are alone you find out that so many others are experiencing exactly what you are. Today I got really inspired.  My oldest daughter is very similar to me in looks and personality.  Of course, we all try to work on our flaws by teaching our kids how to be better than we are, to reach for the stars and believe in themselves.  I took my daughter to an ice skating party today.  My daughter has never ice skated and I am no pro.  I am not even a terrible amateur.  My status could well be described as pitiful.  In fact, when my ever-supportive best friend found out I was headed to the rink she laughed me right off the phone.  (Hmmmfph!!!) Why I was the parent who ended up taking my daughter-- when my husband has skated in his adult life, and would have made a much better teacher-- I don’t know. I can only suppose I was thinking about hot chocolate and the sidelines. So, I take my daughter to the rink and am about to dump her off to the very capable instructors when I see the terror that I often see in my own face when taking on something new.   I even tell my daughter that for fear of getting stitches she doesn’t have to skate if she doesn’t want to.   I try to be supportive with the you-can-do- it, try-your-best attitude, but against my better judgment and a huge dose of parental guilt I go put on a pair of skates.  I was nothing short of embarrassing-- clinging to a 2-inch ledge of wall since there is no railing to hold on to.  I was thinking how much I hate the ice, the cold, the fact that I can’t dance to the great music playing for fear of getting stitches when an ice guard tells me there is a private party and we must vacate the wall.  “WHAT???!!!”  I say, “we can’t get across there”-- an obvious tremor to my adult voice.  The ice guard takes pity on us and lets us slide. Thankfully, not literally.  We make it what feels like three miles back to the start and--lucky us--it is time for pizza.  I almost bend to kiss the ice but fear I will never make it back to standing.  We have our pizza and I am trying to stall when we visit the facilities and my daughter says, “Hey Ma, I think that we can do this”.  “Really”, I answer.  “Yeah, ‘cause I know that practice makes perfect and if we try really hard we can skate without the wall”.  “Really”, I answer.  Now I am afraid and trying not to show it because my daughter isn’t and I don’t want her to be. She goes on with her little determined self and makes me get back on the ice and try to skate without touching the wall. After a while I give up (after all there is hot chocolate waiting for me in the nice, safe party room).  She does several more rounds, takes a spill on the ice, recovers and commits to getting away from that wall, and being the brave girl I wish I was.  That’s my inspiration.