Skate Party

“We want to skate!” my four-year-old twins exclaimed excitedly when we entered the skating rink.  We were there for the 8th birthday of my son’s friend.  I had thought that my girls would play with the birthday girl’s little sister during the party and not actually skate.  I should have known, though.  They want to do everything their big brother does.

Reluctantly I approached the skate rental window and traded two pairs of “cowgrill boots” for two pairs of skates.  “Can I go out in the rink with them in my shoes?” I asked the man working behind the counter.  I couldn’t imagine holding them both up while wearing skates of my own

He shook his head.  “You can go out there in your socks if you want,” he said.  My toes immediately curled under in my shoes as images of the girls rolling over and falling on my feet flashed through my mind.

“Okay girls,” I told them when I finished lacing up their skates, “we’re going to start by skating around on the carpet here outside the rink, then when we get the feel of it we’ll try going in the rink.”

Their eager faces beamed as they looked at each other and stood up cautiously.  They each took one of my hands and took a step forward.  “Whoa!” they giggled as they wobbled and swayed, clutching my hands to help keep their balance.  They managed to stay upright for about 5 feet, where we had to cross a stretch of wood floor to reach the rest of the carpet.  As soon as their skates hit the wood, their feet were flailing all around.  One grabbed the hem of my shirt and the other grabbed the back pocket of my jeans, holding on for dear life.  I tried to hold them up, but I could feel my clothing start to slip and stretch.  Worried I was about be exposed, I let go of their hands and let them fall into a tangled heap at my feet. I looked down to see what the expression was on their faces.  Looking up at me were two happy, laughing little girls who were already trying to get back up.  I laughed along with them and helped haul them back up on their feet.

“Falling’s part of it!” P declared once she was back up on her skates.

That was the first of many falls this afternoon, but by the end of the skate session, both girls were skating around the rink while holding hands with myself, their big brother, or dad.

“That was fun,” my hubby said as we left the rink after the party.  “We should come back every once in a while.”

Hooray for trying new things and finding new activities to enjoy as a family!