Learning to Skate

Aidan and Brennan had their first ice skating lesson this evening. I, of course, cried as I watched them waddling out to the ice in their hockey skates and giant hockey helmets. My tears quickly turned to horror as I watched Brennan fall once, twice and then a hundred and one more times in the course of the forty-five minute session. That boy will have a bruised bottom for sure. He appears to lack all balance and despite clinging onto his walker for dear life, spent quite a bit of time collapsed on the ice.

The boys started the lesson assigned to the same group, but after Aidan joined the rest of the skaters in a walker-free waddle on the ice without a fall, Brennan was quickly demoted to another group. And then a few minutes (and falls) later, he was demoted to another group. And then yet another group. Until finally, there were no other groups left for Brennan to join and they opted to just give him his own private coach in an attempt to teach him how to stand up on the ice.

I was concerned as I watched all of this progress right up until I saw Brennan's laughing face hidden under his huge hockey mask. He loved every minute of it. He handled the falls, the lack of balance and the bruised butt like a champ. He giggled. He charmed. His face burst with smiles even as he fell... again... again... and again.

His first words to me when he got off the ice were, "Can I come back here again? Can I?"

Aidan also enjoyed his first skate. He got the balance action down cold and spent most of the lesson learning to hold his arms out for support as he crossed the rink.

The only person who did not enjoy the skating time? Griffin. He was both annoyed and insulted that he could not participate with his brothers. Before the lesson, he shouted with anger as we put on the boys' skates, yelling, "I skate! I SKATE!" This turned into "I hockey! I HOCKEY!" as we watched the boys' lesson. It's hard to be the little guy.