life lessons on ice

In my ongoing attempt to complete the book I began 5 years ago, I took Sophia ice skating in Bryant Park today. After two laps around and hanging on to the wall for dear life, Sophia was done. She apparently didn’t understand that I had just forked out a bunch of money for the “fun” we were having. So, after a little break, I informed her that we were not done and we were going back out there.

Sophia proceeded to burst into tears. She was pretty convinced I was going to let her quit. She was pretty sure of this because I’m not one to push her very hard – just ask her father. But today I told her she had one more minute and then we were going to try again. Truth be told, I didn’t want to go back out there either. I don’t like ice skating. I never have. I even took lessons when I was a kid but the skates are just so darn uncomfortable. But I digress…

So we headed back to the rink for another try. And this time Sophia skated like a champ! No, she never let go of my hand but she did let go of the wall – somewhat. But more importantly, she proved to herself that she could do it! And it was so fun to watch her face light up and her posture straighten. In the end, I was the one who quit – my feet were KILLING me! I made Sophia decide how many more times we were going to circle because I needed a light at the end of the tunnel. And just like my daughter, I didn’t give up (and I have the blisters to prove it). Good times…