| On Friday night, I learned my limitation. I | | | | I landed on my wrists, and fullyrealized how |
| took ten pre-teengirls to the ice rink--along | | | | hard the ice really is...and how much more |
| with little brother Victor, who hadnever | | | | brittlemy bones are at my age...when I picked |
| ice-skated in his life. | | | | myself up with a half-laugh and an |
| | | | under-my-breath grunt of "I hope he was worth |
| At fortysomething, I had no deep-seated | | | | it." |
| desire to skate; thegirls afterall would | | | | |
| skate by themselves and completely ignoreme. | | | | We were great, Victor and I. He took to the |
| I was cold. I was sore from my early-morning | | | | ice like a duck towater and passed me |
| tennis game andhalf-hour workout with | | | | whenever he could, checking in with me |
| weights. In tiny Ridgefield, Connecticutin | | | | everyfew dozen yards to make sure I was still |
| January, ice skating on a Friday night is as | | | | alive. The second crashwas my swan song; I |
| good as it gets:the place was packed. Clearly | | | | exited to the slightly warmer viewing |
| two hundred children and hormone-impaired | | | | roomwith ice on my butt and two clearly |
| middleschoolers were lacing up, while little | | | | bruised wrists, totallyticked off that these |
| Victorbegged me to skate alongside him, at | | | | kids had gotten the best of me. |
| this never-before-seen rink, with an | | | | |
| almost-desperate look on his face. | | | | Five minutes later, I reminded myself why I |
| | | | was there in thefirst place: I had a |
| Of course I had to oblige. "How tough could | | | | 9-year-old son who needed me, for crying out |
| this be anyway?" Ithought as I snapped on my | | | | loud! It was back to the ice for another |
| rented skates. "I work out everyday," | | | | half-hour. Round and round we went, avoiding |
| | | | the whippersnappers and pre-teen girls with a |
| I reassured myself. I skated as a kid. We'll | | | | vengeance. My daughter and her nine friends? |
| take it slowly. Ilook the part, what with my | | | | |
| jeans, turtleneck, and down vest. Imean...I | | | | Forgetaboutem. Caught in their own little |
| could pass for one of these kids if you | | | | world-on-ice, checkingout each face that |
| caught me at the right angle! | | | | whirled past them, I was only the |
| | | | night-timedriver and MasterCard-holder. |
| We got onto the ice, Victor holding my hand | | | | |
| with a look of "Can I do this, Mom?" and me | | | | The evening ended with hot cocoa drunk by |
| with an | | | | giggling, rosy-cheekedgirls. Victor, |
| "it's-like-riding-a-bike-you-never-forget-how | | | | encouraged by my proddings of "You're doing |
| " assurance. | | | | sogreat!" now had his sights set on ice |
| | | | hockey. And my left wrist,though clearly |
| The first time around was, well, awkward | | | | black and blue from a dozen broken blood |
| would be anunderstatement. I was wobbly. | | | | vessels,was not much worse for the wear. |
| Victor held me up. When I asked him how he | | | | |
| was doing, he was clearly in control. "I | | | | Will we do that again? Absolutely. Cold air, |
| rollerblade,remember, Mom?" Oh yeah...that. | | | | oxygen to the brain, rosy cheeks, laughter, |
| | | | friends, bonding with my kids, and a sense of |
| Dozens of wiry boys...barely as high as my | | | | community in this New England town of mine |
| kneecap...who hadclearly been skating since | | | | are just too compelling. |
| they could crawl...zigzagged in andout of my | | | | |
| path like cockroaches when caught in the dark | | | | Looking like a fool when I fall? |
| by a quickly-turned-on light. | | | | Black-and-blue reminders of mymiddle age? |
| Whippersnappers! In and out they skated, so | | | | Bruises to my ego? Well...that's all part |
| fast and with such precision that it took my | | | | ofmotherhood. |
| misted-breath away. | | | | |
| | | | Keeping the spirit of the holidays after the |
| Did I mention the strobe lights? Just when I | | | | holidays haveclearly passed is one of the |
| thought it was safeto look down and see where | | | | challenges of being a Rocket Mom. |
| I was going, the lights playing on the ice | | | | |
| only made me dizzy. I was reassured by my | | | | Keep your eyes wide open for opportunities |
| assessment when Victor exclaimed: "Mom, don't | | | | throughout the nextcouple winter months to |
| look down! You'll throw up!" | | | | create special memories with your kids. |
| | | | |
| By the third or fourth time around, I was | | | | Be it snow-skiing, ice skating, or sledding; |
| feeling much moreconfident. But when a | | | | or creating uniquepottery at your local paint |
| pre-teen girl caught sight of a hottie | | | | bar...be prepared for giggles and |
| andabruptly skated backwards...directly in | | | | memory-making...and check your ego at the |
| front of me...I wasknocked smack on the ice. | | | | door. |