My kid told me to pack sand

Skateboarding --not really something I never imagined my kid doing. Not that I really have anything against it, just silly little presumptuous ideas that came from stereotypes. So, needless to say that his father and I were a little shocked when J said he wanted to skateboard. We try really hard though to preserve his innocence, so we set out own judgement aside and got him set up with all the gear he would possibly need. Kids see the world in such a wonderful way, that the last thing we want to do is taint his childhood by exposing him to an adults judgmental view. Our poor little buddy looked like a nerd covered head to toe in padding, but he had what he wanted!

He occasionally worked on learning how to push off with his foot and ride on our flat driveway, and then slowly learned how to turn (kinda)... So to him, of course the next logical step was to go to the Skate Park. Yesterday was just the day.

When we arrived at the skatepark, I was terrified. There were kids everywhere! Big kids too. They were good. My poor little boy was going to get run over or made fun of or hurt... Or even worse feel ashamed. He was excited though! He jumped out of the car, threw on his pads and helmet and started unloading. 

My fears became reality. He did get in people's way, he did fall down a couple of times, and he seemed disappointed that he couldn't do much besides ride around in a circle. An amazing thing happened though, and those big kids surprised me. When he fell, they asked if he was okay. They understood he was little and let him do his thing even when they had to screech to a halt because he got in their way. Not a single mean word was said, no whispers behind his back, just honest to goodness compassion and humility. Their concern over his scrapes and bruises was enough to encourage him to keep trying. He kept at it, and his confidence grew.

It grew so much in fact that he came up to me and said, "I dont want to hurt your feelings, but do you think I could skateboard alone and that you could like go sit in the car or something?" OUCH! Straight to the heart! So he didn't actually say to pack sand, but it sure did feel like it! It's a mixed feeling you get when that kind of thing happens. It's a little bit sad and a little bit proud. Sad that he didn't need me around, but proud that he was confident in himself that I wasn't needed.

I didn't go to the car, but I distanced myself, and as I did I saw even more magic. His confidence and determination were hard for anyone to miss, he tried new things, and made new friends. As parents, we can't be a part of every aspect of our kids life, and one day they won't need us, but watching them shape into amazing individuals is a beautiful, beautiful thing. 

-C