Skateboard Park

I'm afraid of pain. Especially falling and hurting myself. I once stubbed my toe so badly while jump roping, I will only jump rope while wearing tennis shoes (and that isn't often.) I try to avoid pain and blood but that is hard to do when you have kids. I had a skateboard as a kid and was terrified of falling off so I went very slowly on it and on flat surfaces only. So all summer the kids have been asking to go to the skateboard park at Bear Creek Park. Mind you these are kids that don't have any skateboarding skills, not from a lack of trying, it's just a hard thing to do but luckily they have a high pain tolerance. So in trying not to pass my fears onto my kids, since I've passed on other things that I'm not proud of: such as nail biting, the term "How dare you?," one child's fear of spiders, etc. I decided tonight for Family Home Evening I would take them to the skateboard park. Unfortunately that led to a whole new set of fears. Not to stereotype skateboarders but they are rough and tough kind of people. My thought is I show up with 4 little kids and if they wanted to beat us up they could. So I took my husband along, he was good enough to humor us, and we brought the dog to protect us from any attackers.

We show up and I'm worried about what people are going to think of me and my brood. I'm way too worried about this sort of thing, partly why it took all summer for me to muster the courage to bring the kids to the skate park. There are probably around 10 other kids there skateboarding. Long hair, no helmets (ugh-the possible damage), baggy clothes kind of kids. I couldn't help but laugh when my kids get ready to go down one of the hills (there must be a better word) and they sit on their skateboards and have the time of their lives! All three have their own skateboard and they sit on it and go as fast as they can down these steep hills. It was great! They loved it! They had no fears of getting hurt or looking silly sitting down while these other kids are whizzing past them standing on their skateboards. They then try their trick down a bigger hill and two of them get stuck in this huge cement pit. Their boards were not with them and they could not get out! They were laughing so hard, again while all these other skateboarders are weaving in and out of the pits and hills. They didn't care one bit about what the other people thought about them. Finally the two get out of the pit and we decide it's time to go. No one got hurt! Instead, as we are leaving I get to hear from them, "Thanks so much for bringing us here, that was great!"

What did I learn from this experience?

• I shouldn't fear skateboarders, they were very pleasant plus can't I consider my kids skateboarders now? and I don't want to fear them.
• I'm so proud of my kids for being so strong and brave and going and having a great time skateboarding not caring one bit what anyone thought about them.
• If I had given into my fear or insecurity of the skateboard park my kids would have missed out on a great night. We were out as a family doing something different and enjoying the summer evening.
• Part of my year of no fear needs to be reminding myself the importance of not passing on my fears to my kids.
• And lastly, once I'm no longer pregnant I'm going to have to get back on a skateboard!