Overcoming the I-Can't-Skate-Date

One of the greatest rewards in parenting is watching your child overcome something that they think they "can't do". I love to watch their determination replace their fears. I love to see the immense joy spread across their face when they finally get it; they took the fear and kicked it to the curb and wouldn't take "no" for an answer. 

Ella was next in line for a date-day with mommy. She was bursting with excitement the entire month. We were going rollerskating, and I was just as excited as her. I hadn't been rollerskating in years and I have a lot of memories associated with the roller rink; when I was a kid it was the place to be. Birthday parties, weekend outings, and many summer days were spent circling the the plastic coated floor. The disco ball would set the mood and Paula Abdul's top hits would blast the speakers. We would all stop to do the hokey-pokey and sing Happy Birthday to the kids in the middle of the floor... those were the days! It's fun reliving your own childhood memories through your kids!

The first time around the floor, Ella was ready to throw in the towel. Her demeanor went from, "this is the most exciting day of my life" to screaming out, "I can't do this!" Within five minutes of strapping on our skates she started to wonder what she had gotten herself into. We stopped and had a little heart-to-heart. When something in life is hard we just have to push through and not give up. We talked about hard-work, practice, and the patience you need when learning something new. We continued to circle the floor together with our hands tightly clasped. Each time around, we rejoiced over every tiny improvement.

We took a little break and watched as the other skaters circled the floor to Katy Perry's, "California Gurls". I was messing with my camera phone getting ready to capture some awesome phone pics when I noticed Ella wasn't beside me. I looked up and scanned the dark roller rink, half-way across the floor I spotted the green stripped shirt inching her way around. This tenacious little girl wasn't going to let a pair of roller skates get the best of her; she was going to overcome this thing and she wasn't going to give up. 

I was beaming from ear to ear with the joy only a mother could feel from seeing her child overcome fear and take it head on. I couldn't of been more proud of her in that moment. 

She got around to me and with a big smile on her face and asked, "Did you see me mom?"

It was a great day!!