Ice Skating

Adam has been off of work this week, so we decided to take the boys ice skating. They have never been before, and were really excited to try it out. We brought their cousin Ava along....she had never been ice-skating before either!

Ignore Ryan's face. He really was excited. Actually, don't ignore it. His face pretty much sums up his ice skating experience.

 Unfortunately things didn't start out too well. The boys got out on the ice for about 5 seconds before getting off. Lucas immediately fell and I think it scared him, so he went and sat down crying. Ryan, on the other hand, was just mad. He decided ice skating was hard, stupid, and he wanted to go home.

 I should have seen this coming. I know my boys well. Ryan in particular has a really hard time with trying new things that seem difficult or intimidating. He gets frustrated veeeery easily.

 While Ryan pouted on the bench, we convinced Lucas to give it another try.

 They had stacks of buckets that you could push around to keep yourself balanced. Great idea!

 Ava was a complete natural. I have to admit, when I first got on the ice I felt really unsteady. It was harder than I remembered! But after a few minutes it got much easier.

 I got Ryan back out on the ice. He brought his attitude with him.

 A kind stranger gave us his little seal seat for Lucas to use. It was so much fun! He took a few turns around the ice.

 And then we got Ryan on it. The boys eventually skated around the rink a few times, holding on to our hands.

So we ice skated....but I'm not necessarily sure the boys enjoyed it. Adam and I had some fun, though! If nothing else, I think it was a good life lesson for the boys. Just because something is difficult, doesn't mean you should give up without trying. It's a work in progress with our boys!

At what age have you taken your kids ice-skating?