Like so many other little girls, and truth be told, like her mother before her, the Olympic Games have inspired Alethea with dreams of figure skating brilliance. I personally got never much better than being able to skate in a straight line without falling down. Alethea though has been practicing her jumps and spins every evening, sliding around in socks on the hardwood floors in the hallway. So you can imagine her delight when I announced to her this morning that I’d found a pair of ice skates her size at the thrift store and I was taking her skating for the first time.
There was a brief disagreement about what she should wear. She insisted on a skirt, “Because I’m an ice skater.” And I insisted that she wear pants, “Because it’s cold outside.” So we compromised with a skirt over stretch pants. As she donned her selected outfit, she told me confidently, “I’m going to do spins and twirls!” And then on the way out the door, she asked, “Will there be anyone there watching me skate?”
Despite the Olympic visions of grandeur in her head, she was all smiles when we pulled up at the little ice skating pond at a local park. No audience, no music, not even a real rink, but that didn’t dampen her spirits.
We got her skates laced up and then we were off… very slowly and carefully. She leaned on me heavily as I walked backwards holding both her hands. She slipped and slid and was constantly losing her balance. I could tell it wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined it would be. I wondered how long it would take for her to get discouraged. I thought maybe she might want to give up. So you can imagine how proud I was when after about 15 minutes of difficulty she commented, “This is really hard. Let’s do it some more.”
My tenacious girl was absolutely determined to conquer the ice. Fast forward nearly an hour and a half later and she was letting go of my hands and counting how many steps she could take across the ice before she needed a steadying hand.
Since Gramma was at home watching Lydia, we decided to go to a restaurant, just the two of us, to celebrate her success with some lunch and hot chocolate. When the beverages were delivered, Alethea’s eyes lit up on beholding the giant cup, served on a glass plate with a doily. “This is a fancy restaurant!” she exclaimed.
So there you go. A day in the life of a future Olympian. Yes, it’s a long shot, but I’m fairly convinced this little girl can do whatever she sets her mind to!
Love the pictures. The one of Alethea standing alone on her skates, you would never know it was her first time on skates.. Look out 2022 USA gold here comes Alethea. Hope I’m still around to see her get her metal.
Thanks, Pearl! I thought she did really well. I’m sure 2022 will be here way too soon for my taste!
That is great! Way to not give up!
I got a big grin when I told her you said that. Thanks!
And when she’s a gold medal winner at the Olympics, I will proudly be able to say “I knew her when”……………. : – )
Yup. And I’ll be the nervous wreck of a mom that they zoom in on in the audience!
I love this! What a special time for the two of you. It will be really fun to watch Alethea grow up and see what she sets her mind to as she gets older. :)
Thanks, Jennifer! It was a fun morning and yes, she is a very determined person, so I too am very curious to see what she decides to pursue. Right now her life is all about ice skating, ballet and gymnastics, which would be some uncharted territory for me since I never had any skating or ballet lessons and only the very basics of gymnastics.
wow! way to go, Alethea! Love her dimples and her big smile! So special to get some one-on-one time.
Yes, that one-on-one time is great. Lydia is already looking forward to her turn (although it won’t be ice skating in her case). Thanks for the nice comment!
Yes, she’s a determined one! As long as it’s channeled in the right way, that’s a great characteristic to have. It’s one of those ‘your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness’ type of things. It’s wonderful to see her want to continue in the face of difficulty!!!
Yup. That channeling in the right direction is what keeps me awake at night. Especially because Lydia likes to follow where Alethea leads. Alethea seems to also have logical and compassionate sides to her personality and I’m praying those will help inform the determined part throughout her life.